What Happens When an Electron-Hole Meets a Positron-Hole?

  • Thread starter Thread starter luxiaolei
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
When an electron-hole meets a positron-hole, they do not interact in a meaningful way because electron holes and positron holes are not physical entities but rather conceptual spaces where electrons or positrons could exist. An electron hole represents a vacancy in an atom's electron structure, while a positron hole can be thought of as a vacancy in an anti-atom's positron structure. If these two types of holes were to come close, the atoms themselves could annihilate, but the presence of the holes does not contribute to this interaction. The discussion highlights the confusion surrounding these concepts and emphasizes the importance of understanding them in terms of wavefunctions rather than as tangible particles. Ultimately, the interaction of these theoretical constructs does not lead to any significant physical outcome.
luxiaolei
Messages
70
Reaction score
0
Hi,all, I am curies in know what if a electron-hole meet a positron-hole, what will happen??

(positron hole can be made from taking a positron away from a bunch of positron)

Thanks in advance!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Nothing.

It's just confusion about what those things are I guess. An electron hole is not a 'thing' really. It's just a place a free electron could go (where, for example an atom wants more electrons than it has). In this way we could imagine a positron hole as an anti-atom who wants more positrons to orbit it. So, if those atoms got close they would annihilate, but the fact that they have electron/positron 'holes' (missing some orbiting electrons/positrons) would do nothing.
 
James Leighe said:
Nothing.

It's just confusion about what those things are I guess. An electron hole is not a 'thing' really. It's just a place a free electron could go (where, for example an atom wants more electrons than it has). In this way we could imagine a positron hole as an anti-atom who wants more positrons to orbit it. So, if those atoms got close they would annihilate, but the fact that they have electron/positron 'holes' (missing some orbiting electrons/positrons) would do nothing.

Thanks for replay James Leighe.

I was thinking like what you said before actually. But I found that most of the time mathematical ''imagined'' object do really exsit, so I am start to wondering this question.
Also, sometimes, object's behaviours can really create particles, like phonon is created by latis vibration which is so strange to me..

Again, thinking in terms of wavefunction rather than particle?
 
luxiaolei said:
Thanks for replay James Leighe.

I was thinking like what you said before actually. But I found that most of the time mathematical ''imagined'' object do really exsit, so I am start to wondering this question.
Also, sometimes, object's behaviours can really create particles

Phonon is just a way of saying 'traveling physical disturbance in a solid', it's photons that carry that disturbance (through their interaction with electrons).
 
Back
Top