CAIE A-Level Physics 24.3.3 Electron–Positron Annihilation
Practise explaining particle-antiparticle annihilation and applying conservation of mass-energy and momentum to the products.
- Syllabus
- 2028–2030
- Course
- Physics 9702
- Level
- A2
Practise explaining particle-antiparticle annihilation and applying conservation of mass-energy and momentum to the products.
An electron, at rest, has mass me and charge -q.
A positron is a particle that, at rest, has mass me and charge +q.
A positron interacts with an electron. The electron and the positron may be considered to be at rest.
The outcome of this interaction is that the electron and the positron become two gamma-ray ( γ-ray) photons, each having the same energy.
State and explain the direction, relative to each other, in which the γ-ray photons are emitted.
total momentum (before and after interaction) is zero
or
momentum must be conserved (in the interaction)
or
momentum of the photons must be equal and opposite
B1
(photons emitted in) opposite directions
B1