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7/29/2019 Introduction to Relativistic Collisions
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IntroductiontoRelativisticCollisions
FrankW.K.FirkTheHenryKoernerCenterforEmeritusFaculty,YaleUniversity
NewHavenCT06520
Abstract:ThisintroductionisintendedforstudentstakingafirstcourseinNuclearandParticlePhysics.Electronpositronannihilationinflightisdiscussedasatopicalexampleofanexactrelativisticanalysis.
1.4-momentumandtheenergy-momentuminvariant
In Classical Mechanics, the concept of momentum is important
becauseofitsrleasaninvariantinanisolatedsystem.Wetherefore
introduce the concept of 4momentum in Relativistic Mechanics in
order to find possible Lorentz invariants involving this new quantity.
Thecontravariant4momentumisdefinedas:
P=mV (1)
wheremis themassof theparticle(it isaLorentzscalar themass
measured in the rest frame of the particle), and V[c, vN] is the 4
velocity. Here, is the relativistic factor and vN is theNewtonian 3
velocity,
Now,VV=c2,wherecistheinvariantspeedoflight,therefore
PP=(mc)2. (2)
The4momentumcanbewritten,
P=[mc,mvN](3)
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therefore,
PP=(mc)2(mvN)2.
Writing M=m,therelativisticmass,weobtain
PP=(Mc)2(MvN)2=(mc)2. (4)
Multiplyingthroughoutbyc2gives
M2c4M2vN2c2=m2c4. (5)
ThequantityMc2hasdimensionsofenergy;wethereforewrite
E=Mc2, (6)
thetotalenergyofafreelymovingparticle.
Thisleadstothefundamentalinvariantofdynamics
c2PP=E2(pc)2=Eo2 (7)
where
Eo=mc2istherestenergyoftheparticle,andpisitsrelativistic3-
momentum.
Thetotalenergycanbewritten:
E=Eo
=Eo
+T, (8)
where
T=Eo(1), (9)
therelativistickineticenergy.
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Themagnitudeofthe4momentumisaLorentzinvariant
|P|=mc. (10)
The4momentumtransformsasfollows: P=LP,whereListheLorentzoperator. (11)
2.TherelativisticDopplershift
Forrelativemotionalongthexaxis,theequationP=LPisequivalent
totheequations(here,=v/c)
E=Ecpx (12)
and,
cpx=E+cpx. (13)
UsingthePlanckEinsteinequationsE=handE=pxcforphotons,
theenergyequationbecomes
=
=(1)
=(1)/(12)1/2
={(1)/(1+)}1/2. (14)
ThisistherelativisticDopplershiftforthefrequency,measuredinan
inertialframe(primed)intermsofthefrequency measuredinanother
inertialframe(unprimed).
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3. Relativistic collisions and the conservation of 4-momentum
Considertheinteractionbetweentwoparticles,1and2,toform
twoparticles,3and4.(3and4arenotnecessarilythesameas1and2).Thecontravariant4momentaareP i:
BeforeAfter3P3P1P2124P41+23+4 Allexperimentsareconsistentwiththefactthatthe4momentum
of the system is conserved. We have, for the contravariant 4
momentumvectorsoftheinteractingparticles.
P1+P2=P3+P4 (15)____________initialfreestatefinalfreestate
andasimilarequationforthecovariant4momentumvectors,
P1+P2=P3+P4. (16)
IfweareinterestedinthechangeP1P3,thenwerequire
P1P3=P4P2 (17)
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Thisisthebasicequationforallinteractionsinwhichtworelativistic
entitiesintheinitialstateinteracttogivetworelativisticentitiesinthe
finalstate.Itappliesequallywelltointeractionsthatinvolvemassiveandmasslessentities.
3.1TheComptoneffect
Thegeneralmethoddiscussedintheprevioussectioncanbeused
toprovideanexactanalysisofComptonsfamousexperimentinwhich
thescatteringofaphotonbyastationary,freeelectronwasstudied.In
thisexample,wehave
E1=Eph(theincidentphotonenergy),E2=Ee0(therestenergyof
the stationary electron, the target), E3 = Eph (the energy of the
scatteredphoton),andE4=Ee(theenergyoftherecoillingelectron).
Therestenergyofthephotoniszero:
EphEph=pphcEe0>
EeThegeneralequationisnow
02(EphEphEphEphcos)=Ee022Ee0(Eph+Ee0Eph)+Ee02(23)
or
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2EphEph(1cos)=2Ee0(EphEph)
sothat
EphEph=EphEph(1cos)/Ee0
. (24)
Comptonmeasuredtheenergylossofthephotononscatteringand its
cosdependence.
4.Relativisticinelasticcollisions
Weshallconsideraninelasticcollisionbetweenaparticle1anda
particle2(initiallyatrest)toformacompositeparticle3.Insucha
collision,the4momentumisconserved(asit isin anelasticcollision)
however,thekineticenergyisnotconserved.Partofthekineticenergy
of particle 1 is transformed into excitation energy of the composite
particle3.Thisexcitationenergycantakemanyformsheatenergy,
rotational energy, and the excitation of quantum states at the
microscopiclevel.Theinelasticcollisionisasshown:
BeforeAfter123
p1p2=0p3 Restenergy:E10E20E30 Totalenergy:E1E2=E20E3 3momentum:p1p2=0p3 Kineticenergy:T1T2=0T3
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In this problem, we shall use the energymomentum invariants
associatedwitheachparticle,directly:
i)E12(p1c)2=E102 (25)
ii)E22=E202 (26)
iii)E32(p3c)2=E302. (27)
Thetotalenergyisconserved,therefore
E1+E2=E3=E1+E20. (28)
Introducingthekineticenergiesoftheparticles,wehave
(T1+E10)+E20=T3+E30. (29)
The3momentumisconserved,therefore
p1+0=p3. (30)
Using
E302=E32(p3c)2, (31)
weobtain
E302=(E1+E20)2(p3c)2
=E12+2E1E20+E202(p1c)2
=E102+2E1E20+E202
=E102+E202+2(T1+E10)E20 (32)
or
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E302=(E10+E20)2+2T1E20(E30>E10+E20). (33)
UsingT1=1E10E10,where1=(112)1/2and1=v1/c,wehave
E30
2
=E10
2
+E20
2
+21E10
E20
. (34)
Iftwoidenticalparticlesmakeacompletelyinelasticcollisionthen
E302=2(1+1)E102. (35)
5.TheMandelstamvariables
In discussions of relativistic interactions it is often useful to
introduceadditionalLorentzinvariantsthatareknownasMandelstam
variables.Theyare,forthespecialcaseoftwoparticlesintheinitialand
finalstates(1+23+4):
s = (P1 + P2)[P1 + P2], the total 4momentum
invariant
=((E1+E2)/c,(p1+p2))[(E1+E2)/c,(p1+p2)]
=(E1+E2)2/c2(p1+p2)2 (36)
Lorentzinvariant,
t = (P1 P3)[P1 P3], the 4momentum transfer
(13)invariant
=(E1E3)2/c2(p1p3)2 (37)
Lorentzinvariant,
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and
u = (P1 P4)[P1 P4], the 4momentum transfer
(14)invariant
=(E1E4)2/c2(p1p4)2 (38)
Lorentzinvariant.
Now,
sc2=E12+2E1E2+E22(p12+2p1p2+p22)c2
=E102+E202+2E1E22p1p2c2
=E102+E202+2(E1,p1c)[E2,p2c]. (39) _____________ Lorentzinvariant
The Mandelstam variable sc2 has the same value in all inertial
frames. We therefore evaluate it in the LAB frame, defined by the
vectors
[E1L,p1Lc]and[E2L=E20,p2Lc=0], (40)
sothat
2(E1LE2Lp1Lp2Lc2)=2E1LE20, (41)
and
sc2=E102+E202+2E1LE20. (42)
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Wecanevaluatesc2inthecenterofmass(CM)frame,definedby
thecondition
p1CM
+p2CM
=0(thetotal3momentumiszero): sc2=(E1CM+E2CM)2. (43)
ThisisthesquareofthetotalCMenergyofthesystem.
5.1ThetotalCMenergyandtheproductionofnewparticles
Thequantitycsistheenergyavailablefortheproductionofnew
particles,orforexcitingtheinternalstructureofparticles.Wecannow
obtaintherelationbetweenthetotalCMenergyandtheLABenergyof
theincidentparticle(1)andthetarget(2),asfollows:
sc2=E102+E202+2E1LE20=(E1CM+E2CM)2=W2,say.(6.44)
Here,wehaveevaluatedthelefthandsideintheLABframe,andthe
righthandsideintheCMframe!
Atveryhighenergies,cs>>E10andE20,therestenergiesofthe
particlesintheinitialstate,inwhichcase,
W2=sc22E2LE20. (45)
The total CM energy,W, available for theproductionof new particles
thereforedependsonthesquarerootoftheincidentlaboratoryenergy.
Thisresultledtothedevelopmentofcolliding,orintersecting,beamsof
particles (such as protons and antiprotons) in order to produce
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sufficient energy to generate particleswith restmasses typically 100
timestherestmassoftheproton(~109eV).
6.Positron-electronannihilation-in-flight
Adiscussionoftheannihilationinflightofarelativisticpositron
and a stationary electron provides a topical example of the use of
relativisticconservationlaws. Thisprocess, inwhichtwophotonsare
spontaneously generated, has been used as a source of nearly
monoenergetic highenergy photons for the study of nuclear photo
disintegration since 1960. The general result for a 1 + 2 3 + 4
interaction,giveninsection3,providesthebasisforanexactcalculation
ofthisprocess;wehave
E1=Epos(theincidentpositronenergy),E2=Ee0(therestenergyof
the stationary electron), E3 = Eph1 (the energy of the forwardgoing
photon),andE4=Eph2(theenergyofthebackwardgoingphoton).The
restenergiesofthepositronandtheelectronareequal.Thegeneral
equationnowreads
Ee02
2{EposEph1cpposEph1(cos)}+0=0Ee02
2Ee0
(EposEph1)(46)
therefore
Eph1{Epos+Ee0[Epos2Ee02]1/2cos}=(Epos+Ee0)Ee0,
giving
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Eph1=Ee0/(1kcos) (47)
where
k=[(EposEe0
)/(Epos+Ee0
)]1/2
. Themaximum energyof thephoton,Eph1maxoccurswhen=0,
correspondingtomotionintheforwarddirection;itsenergyis
Eph1max=Eoe/(1k). (48)
If,forexample,theincidenttotalpositronenergyis30MeV,and
Ee0=0.511MeVthen
Eph1max=0.511/[1(29.489/30.511)1/2]MeV
=30.25MeV.
Theforwardgoingphotonhasenergyequaltothekineticenergyofthe
incidentpositron(T1=300.511MeV)plusaboutthreequartersofthe
totalrestenergyofthepositronelectronpair(2Ee0=1.02MeV).Using
the conservation of the total energy of the system, we see that the
energyofthebackwardgoingphotonisabout0.25MeV.
Themethodofpositronelectron annihilationinflight provides oneof
theveryfewwaysofgeneratingnearlymonoenergeticphotonsathigh
energies.ThemethodwasfirstproposedbyTzara(1957).
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References
Thefollowingreferencesplacethesubjectofrelativisticcollisionsinthe
general context of Special Relativity, and provide many specificexamplesoftheapplicationofthetheorytoexperiments.
1.G.StephensonandC.W.Kilmister,SpecialRelativityforPhysicists,
DoverPublications,Inc,NewYork(1987).
2.WolfgangRindler,IntroductiontoSpecialRelativity,2ndedition,
ClarendonPress,Oxford(1991).
3.C.Tzara,Compt.Rend.245,56(1957).
4.C.SchuhlandC.Tzara,Nucl.Instr.Meth.10,217(1961).
5.A.M.Baldin,V.I.GoldanskiiandI.L.Rozenthal,KinematicsofNuclear
Reactions,Oxford,(1961).
6.C.F.Powell,P.H.FowlerandP.H.Perkins,TheStudyofElementary
ParticlesbythePhotographicMethod,PergamonPress,Oxford
(1959).