pair creation
Definition
- Noun:
- A nuclear physics process: "pair creation" refers specifically to the physical phenomenon in which a gamma-ray photon, upon interacting with the strong electric field near an atomic nucleus, is converted into two particles: an electron and its antiparticle, a positron.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Pair creation is a prime example of mass-energy conversion, as described by Einstein's equation.
- The detector is designed to identify the simultaneous tracks of an electron and positron resulting from pair creation.
- In astrophysics, pair creation can occur in the intense magnetic fields near pulsars.
Advanced Usage
- "threshold energy for pair creation": the minimum photon energy required for the process to occur, which is equivalent to the combined rest mass of the created electron and positron.
- The threshold energy for pair creation is 1.022 MeV.
Variants and Related Words
- Pair production: This is a fully synonymous term for "pair creation" and is used interchangeably in physics literature.
- Annihilation: The inverse process to pair creation, where an electron and a positron collide and are converted back into photons.
Synonyms
- Pair production (n): The direct synonym, identical in meaning.
Related Scientific Concepts
- Photoelectric effect: A different process where a photon ejects an electron from an atom.
- Compton scattering: A process where a photon scatters off and transfers energy to an electron.
- Bremsstrahlung: The emission of a photon by a decelerating charged particle, often considered an inverse process in certain contexts.
Noun
-
the transformation of a gamma-ray photon into an electron and a positron when the photon passes close to an atomic nucleus
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