Understanding S-Wave and P-Wave Annihilation

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concepts of "s-wave" and "p-wave" annihilation in the context of quantum mechanics (QM) and quantum field theory (QFT). Participants explore definitions, implications, and specific questions related to these terms, particularly in relation to particle decays and parity violations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Flip seeks clarification on the definitions of "s-wave" and "p-wave" annihilation, indicating difficulty in finding references in standard QM and QFT texts.
  • One participant provides a link to a resource, suggesting it may help with definitions but does not elaborate further.
  • Another participant explains that "s-wave" and "p-wave" refer to the orbital angular momentum of the initial state, linking them to historical spectroscopic notation.
  • A different participant raises a question about the parity properties of s-wave and p-wave contributions in hyperon radiative decays, specifically why s-wave is parity violating while p-wave is parity conserving.
  • In response, another participant suggests that understanding the parity assignment of hadrons is crucial for addressing the question about hyperon decays and notes the complexity of the topic, mentioning the semi-leptonic nature of these decays and CP violation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying levels of understanding and knowledge about the topics discussed. There is no consensus on the specific questions raised, particularly regarding the parity properties of s-wave and p-wave contributions in hyperon decays.

Contextual Notes

Some limitations include potential missing assumptions about intrinsic parity of hadrons and the complexity of the relationship between strong interactions and parity violations in particle decays.

fliptomato
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Greetings--what is meant by "s-wave" or "p-wave" annihilation? I've been trying to figure out what this refers to by looking through the standard QM and QFT texts, but I keep missing this. Does anyone have a handy reference I can look up?

Thanks,
Flip
 
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fliptomato said:
Greetings--what is meant by "s-wave" or "p-wave" annihilation? I've been trying to figure out what this refers to by looking through the standard QM and QFT texts, but I keep missing this. Does anyone have a handy reference I can look up?

Thanks,
Flip
s-wave and p-wave refer to the orbital angular momentum of the initial state.
The notation is related to early spectroscopic notation, with the connection:

Spectral line type
s wave L=0 Sharp
p wave L=1 Principal
d wave L=2 Diffuse
f wave L=3 Fine
and so on.

Oldtimers remember that it came from the appearance of spectral lines.
 
Hi there, I have a more interesting question about s and p-wave amplitudes.

Why the s-wave contribution to hyperon radiative decays is parity violating and the p-wave contribution is parity conserving?

Not sure I can get an answer here but at least I tried :p.
 
zelrik said:
Not sure I can get an answer here but at least I tried :p.
Indeed, I do not think this is where you should ask your question.

It seems the reason you cannot solve your problem is because you do not know the parity assignment following the knowledge of the spin of a hadron in its ground state. We can calculate this parity because we know (or assume, since it has been safe so far) that strong interactions respect parity, and hadrons are bound by the strong interaction. Please note that, the reason those hyperon decay are interesting is because they are not purely strong (we say semi-leptonic) and violate CP (the P violation in their decay is not the same in charge conjugate channels). If you do not know the intrinsic parity of hadrons, please open a separate thread (or search in older threads).

If you know the intrinsic parity of hadrons, the above information provided by Meir Achuz should suffice to solve your question.
 

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