Skip to comments.
Physicists Find Tiny Particle With No Charge, Very Low Mass And Sub-nanosecond Lifetime
ScienceDaily ^
| December 7, 2006
Posted on 12/07/2006 6:00:02 PM PST by annie laurie
click here to read article
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 81-90 next last
To: annie laurie
Interesting. Finding this particle confirms the axion field exists. It's a field proposed to explain why CP symmetry is not observed to be broken in strong interactions. It closes another loose end in the Standard Model.
61
posted on
12/07/2006 10:47:51 PM PST
by
spunkets
To: annie laurie
The headline says "sub-nanosecond" and the body of the article says ten to the minus 13th seconds. That's a tenth of a
picosecond.
If the particle is flying at the speed of light, it'll only go 30 microns, or a 33rd of a millimeter, before it decays.
Interestingly, that's the same order of the thickess of a film emulsion, so by stacking films (with very thin backings), they can get a 3-D view of the process.
62
posted on
12/08/2006 12:24:19 AM PST
by
Erasmus
(Go to Sebastopol and Crimea River.)
To: kinoxi
It's weight would equal the mass of an electron, a positron and whatever energy is given off when it decays. I think.....
63
posted on
12/08/2006 12:51:57 AM PST
by
alpo
(Allright.... Who fatwa'd?)
To: alpo
You guessed in the wrong direction methinks.
64
posted on
12/08/2006 12:59:45 AM PST
by
kinoxi
To: alpo
65
posted on
12/08/2006 1:12:22 AM PST
by
kinoxi
To: kinoxi
"After they are produced axions rapidly decay into 2 electron pairs, an electron and a positron."
Seems like axions have enough mass to form the 2 particles and some energy is usually given off during decay. Unless the decomposition is endothermic but the decay apperars to go from high enery to lower energy particles. Thats why a super collider is needed to make them.
66
posted on
12/08/2006 1:32:05 AM PST
by
alpo
(Allright.... Who fatwa'd?)
To: alpo
Where is your BS meter at right now concerning this article?
67
posted on
12/08/2006 1:34:20 AM PST
by
kinoxi
To: alpo
Here's a hint, electron and positrons are what is known as matter and antimatter. They annihilate each other exactly as Relativity predicts. They exist due to to Heisenberg's principle. Is your BS meter going off yet?
68
posted on
12/08/2006 1:45:16 AM PST
by
kinoxi
To: alpo
If you think your BS meter is going off from me please tell me.
69
posted on
12/08/2006 1:50:35 AM PST
by
kinoxi
To: kinoxi
70
posted on
12/08/2006 1:50:37 AM PST
by
alpo
(Allright.... Who fatwa'd?)
To: alpo
Which post# is the question. Electron - Positron pairs form/annihilate continuously.
71
posted on
12/08/2006 2:11:53 AM PST
by
kinoxi
To: annie laurie
Instead of trying to explain these phantoms as 'particles' they need to start treating us like adults and use modern terms like strings and branes.
We can handle the math.
BUMP
72
posted on
12/08/2006 2:28:15 AM PST
by
capitalist229
(Get Democrats out of our pockets and Republicans out of our bedrooms.)
To: annie laurie
To: annie laurie
are they going to name it after britney spears?
74
posted on
12/08/2006 2:36:20 AM PST
by
chilepepper
(The map is not the territory -- Alfred Korzybski)
To: Coyoteman
Once again, they use the language of metaphysical certainty while using the tools of rough guessing. I really don't mind that they flail like this, but wouldn't it be nice if they'd admit they're sailing without a map, not knowing what the hell they're doing, that any idiot who can tie his own shoes could do almost as well.
That's all I want.
75
posted on
12/08/2006 10:39:38 AM PST
by
AmishDude
(I coined "Senator Ass" to describe Jim Webb. He may have already used it as a character in a novel.)
To: AmishDude
I really don't mind that they flail like this, but wouldn't it be nice if they'd admit they're sailing without a map, not knowing what the hell they're doing, that any idiot who can tie his own shoes could do almost as well. Because that would be a lie.
76
posted on
12/08/2006 10:50:25 AM PST
by
Coyoteman
(Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.)
To: alpo; kinoxi
"Seems like axions have enough mass to form the 2 particles and some energy is usually given off during decay. Unless the decomposition is endothermic but the decay apperars to go from high enery to lower energy particles." The mass of the axion is between 10-3 and 10-6 eV. That's very small. All the energy is contained essentially in the momentum of the particle.
E = p*c.
Thermodynamics isn't important here. The energy of the particle before the decay equals the E after the decay. The momentum of the tiny mass is turned into a particle pair. It's the reletivistic mass which is is important here. The speed is very close to the speed of light so the mass is 106 to 109 times higher.
77
posted on
12/08/2006 11:12:22 AM PST
by
spunkets
To: spunkets; alpo
The energy of the pair is over 1.02 MeV.
78
posted on
12/08/2006 11:17:18 AM PST
by
spunkets
To: spunkets
ooops... The mass is 109 to 1012 times higher.
79
posted on
12/08/2006 2:34:11 PM PST
by
spunkets
To: dr_who_2
If physicists weren't obsessed with with the rediculously large or the rediculously small so much of the time, more people might show some interest in physics. Spell check is your friend when criticizing academicians.
80
posted on
12/08/2006 3:52:25 PM PST
by
Ben Chad
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 81-90 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson