Why can't the W boson decay into a top quark?

  • Level: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter jc09
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Quark
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
3 replies · 2K views
jc09
Messages
42
Reaction score
0
Just wondering if anyone could tell me why the W boson cannot decay into the heavier top mass.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Because it's heavier. Energy wouldn't be conserved if light objects could decay to heavy ones.
 
If a neutrino from outer space with energy $10^20eV$ have a elastic scattering with electron...do it have higher possibility for the W-propagator to decay into top quark?
 
There is indeed a process similar to what you're describing that is present in the SM, but you shouldn't think about it as the W decaying so much as the electron-neutrino tunneling through a W into a top and whatever else would be present (bbar?).