What interaction do pions decay?

Neutral pions decay into gamma rays (π0 → 2γ) with a mean life of 8.4·10−17 s at rest. The latter can produce electron-positron pairs which subsequently undergo bremsstrahlung, which again can produce electron-positron pairs, and so on, as long as the photon energy exceeds 1.02 MeV.

Do pions decay through the weak interaction?

For example, a neutral pion decays electromagnetically, and so has a life of only about 10−16 seconds. In contrast, a charged pion can only decay through the weak interaction, and so lives about 10−8 seconds, or a hundred million times longer than a neutral pion.

How does a muon decay?

Muon decay Muons are unstable elementary particles and are heavier than electrons and neutrinos but lighter than all other matter particles. They decay via the weak interaction.

Why do pions decay to muon?

The heavier muon has a larger left-handed component, and its decay is less suppressed. Hence, pions usually decay into muons, although they have less phase space available.

What does a kaon decay into?

pions
The neutral kaon is an unstable particle that has been produced by high-energy accelerators. A neutral kaon at rest can decay into a pair of oppositely charged pions, as shown in Figure 20.11. The kaon mass is 3.566 times as large as the mass of a charged pion.

How does weak force causes beta decay?

Explanation: The weak interaction, or weak force, allows quarks to change flavor. The opposite reaction can happen to a proton, where one of the “up” quarks flips to a “down” quark. This time, a W+ boson is emitted, and decays into a positron and neutrino.

How do muons interact with matter?

Muons, being charged particles, interact with matter by ionizing it. The loss of energy by muons passing throught he atmosphere is proportional to the amout of matter they traverse. The medium is usually characterized by its density (g/cm3) times the distance traveled in centimeters.

Is kaon decay strong interaction?

1* The neutral Kaons K0s and K0L represent symmetric and antisymmetric mixtures of the quark combinations down-antistrange and antidown-strange. Decay times in this range indicate decay by the weak interaction. There are two versions of this particle with the same mass but different decay lifetimes! …

Is kaon decay a weak interaction?

They decay in about 1.24 x 10-8 seconds: They decay as follows: Decay times in this range indicate decay by the weak interaction. Note that NONE of the decay products has a strange quark, so this decay violates conservation of strangeness and cannot proceed by the strong interaction.

Are pions exchange particles?

Pions are the exchange particles that hold protons(and neutrons) together in the nucleus. In this case, the Strong Force is called the ‘residual’ or ‘nuclear’ force. Gluons (g) are the exchange particles responsible for holding quarks within the confines of individual nucleons.

What happens to charged pions when they decay?

Charged pions most often decay into muons and muon neutrinos, while neutral pions generally decay into gamma rays . The exchange of virtual pions, along with vector, rho and omega mesons, provides an explanation for the residual strong force between nucleons.

What is the difference between a neutral pion and a charged pion?

The neutral pion decays into two photons. The charged pions decay weakly and have therefore a much longer lifetime than the neutral pions. The scalar kaons can only decay weakly and has therefore a long lifetime The vector mesons decay into their pseudo-scalar counterparts and pions.

Is it possible to decay two photons?

The decay to two photons is not allowed, again because of electric charge conservation. The only channel left for them to decay is through the weak interaction: they can annihilate into an off-shell \\(W\\)boson which promptly decays into a charged lepton and a neutrino.

How do neutral kaons decay into quarks?

For the neutral kaons \\(K^0\\)and \\(\\bar K^0\\)the \\(s\\)quark has to decay through the weak interaction into a \\(u\\)quark. Because of the heavier mass of the kaons it is also kinematically possible for them to decay into three pions.