Electron–positron annihilation occurs when an
electron
The electron ( or ) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family,
and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have no ...
() and a
positron
The positron or antielectron is the antiparticle or the antimatter counterpart of the electron. It has an electric charge of +1 '' e'', a spin of 1/2 (the same as the electron), and the same mass as an electron. When a positron collides ...
(, the electron's
antiparticle
In particle physics, every type of particle is associated with an antiparticle with the same mass but with opposite physical charges (such as electric charge). For example, the antiparticle of the electron is the positron (also known as an antie ...
) collide. At low energies, the result of the collision is the
annihilation
In particle physics, annihilation is the process that occurs when a subatomic particle collides with its respective antiparticle to produce other particles, such as an electron colliding with a positron to produce two photons. The total energy a ...
of the electron and positron, and the creation of energetic
photon
A photon () is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. Photons are Massless particle, massless ...
s:
: + → +
At high energies, other particles, such as
B mesons or the
W and Z bosons
In particle physics, the W and Z bosons are vector bosons that are together known as the weak bosons or more generally as the intermediate vector bosons. These elementary particles mediate the weak interaction; the respective symbols are , , and ...
, can be created. All processes must satisfy a number of
conservation law
In physics, a conservation law states that a particular measurable property of an isolated physical system does not change as the system evolves over time. Exact conservation laws include conservation of energy, conservation of linear momentum, ...
s, including:
*
Conservation of electric charge. The net
charge
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
before and after is zero.
*Conservation of
linear momentum
In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass a ...
and total
energy
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of h ...
. This forbids the creation of a single photon. However, in
quantum field theory
In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines classical field theory, special relativity, and quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct physical models of subatomic particles a ...
this process is allowed; see
examples of annihilation.
*Conservation of
angular momentum
In physics, angular momentum (rarely, moment of momentum or rotational momentum) is the rotational analog of linear momentum. It is an important physical quantity because it is a conserved quantity—the total angular momentum of a closed syste ...
.
*Conservation of total (i.e. net)
lepton number, which is the number of leptons (such as the electron) minus the number of antileptons (such as the positron); this can be described as a
conservation of (net) matter law.
As with any two charged objects, electrons and positrons may also interact with each other without annihilating, in general by
elastic scattering
Elastic scattering is a form of particle scattering in scattering theory, nuclear physics and particle physics. In this process, the kinetic energy of a particle is conserved in the center-of-mass frame, but its direction of propagation is modif ...
.
Low-energy case
There are only a very limited set of possibilities for the final state. The most probable is the creation of two or more gamma photons. Conservation of energy and linear momentum forbid the creation of only one photon. (An exception to this rule can occur for tightly bound atomic electrons.) In the most common case, two gamma photons are created, each with
energy
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of h ...
equal to the
rest energy
The invariant mass, rest mass, intrinsic mass, proper mass, or in the case of bound systems simply mass, is the portion of the total mass of an object or system of objects that is independent of the overall motion of the system. More precisely, i ...
of the electron or positron (). A convenient
frame of reference
In physics and astronomy, a frame of reference (or reference frame) is an abstract coordinate system whose origin, orientation, and scale are specified by a set of reference points― geometric points whose position is identified both mathem ...
is that in which the system has
no net linear momentum before the annihilation; thus, after collision, the gamma photons are emitted in opposite directions. It is also common for three to be created, since in some angular momentum states, this is necessary to conserve
charge parity
In physics, the C parity or charge parity is a multiplicative quantum number of some particles that describes their behavior under the symmetry operation of charge conjugation.
Charge conjugation changes the sign of all quantum charges (that is, ...
.
[
] It is also possible to create any larger number of photons, but the probability becomes lower with each additional gamma photon because these more complex processes have lower
probability amplitude
In quantum mechanics, a probability amplitude is a complex number used for describing the behaviour of systems. The modulus squared of this quantity represents a probability density.
Probability amplitudes provide a relationship between the qu ...
s.
Since
neutrino
A neutrino ( ; denoted by the Greek letter ) is a fermion (an elementary particle with spin of ) that interacts only via the weak interaction and gravity. The neutrino is so named because it is electrically neutral and because its rest mass ...
s also have a smaller mass than electrons, it is also possible – but exceedingly unlikely – for the annihilation to produce one or more neutrino–
antineutrino
A neutrino ( ; denoted by the Greek letter ) is a fermion (an elementary particle with spin of ) that interacts only via the weak interaction and gravity. The neutrino is so named because it is electrically neutral and because its rest mass i ...
pairs. The probability for such process is on the order of 10000 times less likely than the annihilation into photons. The same would be true for any other particles, which are as light, as long as they share at least one
fundamental interaction
In physics, the fundamental interactions, also known as fundamental forces, are the interactions that do not appear to be reducible to more basic interactions. There are four fundamental interactions known to exist: the gravitational and electr ...
with electrons and no conservation laws forbid it. However, no other such particles are known.
High-energy case
If either the electron or positron, or both, have appreciable
kinetic energies, other heavier particles can also be produced (such as
D meson
The D mesons are the lightest particle containing charm quarks. They are often studied to gain knowledge on the weak interaction. The strange D mesons (Ds) were called "F mesons" prior to 1986.
Overview
The D mesons were discover ...
s or
B mesons), since there is enough kinetic energy in the relative velocities to provide the
rest energies of those particles. Alternatively, it is possible to produce photons and other light particles, but they will emerge with higher kinetic energies.
At energies near and beyond the mass of the carriers of the
weak force, the
W and Z bosons
In particle physics, the W and Z bosons are vector bosons that are together known as the weak bosons or more generally as the intermediate vector bosons. These elementary particles mediate the weak interaction; the respective symbols are , , and ...
, the strength of the weak force becomes comparable to the
electromagnetic
In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of ...
force.
As a result, it becomes much easier to produce particles such as neutrinos that interact only weakly with other matter.
The heaviest particle pairs yet produced by electron–positron annihilation in
particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies, and to contain them in well-defined beams.
Large accelerators are used for fundamental research in particle ...
s are
– pairs (mass 80.385 GeV/c
2 × 2). The heaviest single-charged particle is the
Z boson (mass 91.188 GeV/c
2). The driving motivation for constructing the
International Linear Collider is to produce the
Higgs boson
The Higgs boson, sometimes called the Higgs particle, is an elementary particle in the Standard Model of particle physics produced by the quantum excitation of the Higgs field,
one of the fields in particle physics theory. In the Stand ...
s (mass 125.09 GeV/c
2) in this way.
Practical uses
The electron–positron annihilation process is the physical phenomenon relied on as the basis of
positron emission tomography
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging technique that uses radioactive substances known as radiotracers to visualize and measure changes in metabolic processes, and in other physiological activities including blood flow, ...
(PET) and
positron annihilation spectroscopy
Positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) or sometimes specifically referred to as Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is a non-destructive spectroscopy technique to study voids and defects in solids.
Theory
The technique operates ...
(PAS). It is also used as a method of measuring the
Fermi surface In condensed matter physics, the Fermi surface is the surface in reciprocal space which separates occupied from unoccupied electron states at zero temperature. The shape of the Fermi surface is derived from the periodicity and symmetry of the crys ...
and
band structure
In solid-state physics, the electronic band structure (or simply band structure) of a solid describes the range of energy levels that electrons may have within it, as well as the ranges of energy that they may not have (called ''band gaps'' or '' ...
in
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typica ...
s by a technique called
Angular Correlation of Electron Positron Annihilation Radiation.
It is also used for nuclear transition.
Positron annihilation spectroscopy is also used for the study of
crystallographic defect
A crystallographic defect is an interruption of the regular patterns of arrangement of atoms or molecules in crystalline solids. The positions and orientations of particles, which are repeating at fixed distances determined by the unit cell para ...
s in metals and semiconductors;
it is considered the only direct probe for vacancy-type defects.
[
]
Reverse reaction
The reverse reaction, electron–positron creation, is a form of
pair production
Pair production is the creation of a subatomic particle and its antiparticle from a neutral boson. Examples include creating an electron and a positron, a muon and an antimuon, or a proton and an antiproton. Pair production often refers specific ...
governed by
two-photon physics
Two-photon physics, also called gamma–gamma physics, is a branch of particle physics that describes the interactions between two photons. Normally, beams of light pass through each other unperturbed. Inside an optical material, and if the intens ...
.
See also
*
Bhabha scattering
In quantum electrodynamics, Bhabha scattering is the electron-positron scattering process:
::e^+ e^- \rightarrow e^+ e^-
There are two leading-order Feynman diagrams contributing to this interaction: an annihilation process and a scattering proc ...
*
List of particles
This is a list of known and hypothesized particles.
Elementary particles
Elementary particles are particles with no measurable internal structure; that is, it is unknown whether they are composed of other particles. They are the fundamental ob ...
*
Meitner–Hupfeld effect
*
Pair production
Pair production is the creation of a subatomic particle and its antiparticle from a neutral boson. Examples include creating an electron and a positron, a muon and an antimuon, or a proton and an antiproton. Pair production often refers specific ...
*
Positronium
Positronium (Ps) is a system consisting of an electron and its anti-particle, a positron, bound together into an exotic atom, specifically an onium. Unlike hydrogen, the system has no protons. The system is unstable: the two particles annihi ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Electron-Positron Annihilation
Nuclear medicine
Antimatter