Science > Physics > Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon?
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Science > Physics |
| User: |
"Golden Boar" |
| Date: |
25 Aug 2005 02:40:48 AM |
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Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
When the velocity of an electron approaches the speed of light, its
wavelength decreases, and its mass increases.
When the electron is moving at a certain speed, its mass will equal the
mass of a muon.
What are the differences between this electron and the muon?
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| User: "Sam Wormley" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
25 Aug 2005 07:51:38 AM |
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Golden Boar wrote:
When the velocity of an electron approaches the speed of light, its
wavelength decreases, and its mass increases.
When the electron is moving at a certain speed, its mass will equal the
mass of a muon.
What are the differences between this electron and the muon?
Rest mass, among other things.
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| User: "Rene Tschaggelar" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
25 Aug 2005 03:33:46 AM |
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Golden Boar wrote:
When the velocity of an electron approaches the speed of light, its
wavelength decreases, and its mass increases.
When the electron is moving at a certain speed, its mass will equal the
mass of a muon.
What are the differences between this electron and the muon?
Well, one is moving and the other is still at rest. Similarly
your family car can achieve the kinetic energy of a truck.
Rene
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| User: "PD" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
25 Aug 2005 04:45:58 PM |
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Golden Boar wrote:
When the velocity of an electron approaches the speed of light, its
wavelength decreases, and its mass increases.
The *rest* mass does not.
When the electron is moving at a certain speed, its mass will equal the
mass of a muon.
What are the differences between this electron and the muon?
The *rest* mass. The lepton number (look up weak charged current).
PD
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| User: "Golden Boar" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
27 Aug 2005 12:41:57 AM |
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I did not phrase my question very well. I will try again.
Apart from their speeds, what are the differences that can be
*experimentally detected*, between a fast electron and a slow muon?
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| User: "PD" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
27 Aug 2005 09:29:21 PM |
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Golden Boar wrote:
I did not phrase my question very well. I will try again.
Apart from their speeds, what are the differences that can be
*experimentally detected*, between a fast electron and a slow muon?
A fast electron will not penetrate iron. A slow muon most probably
will, as long as it's not *too* slow.
PD
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| User: "the softrat" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
27 Aug 2005 11:59:02 PM |
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On 27 Aug 2005 19:29:21 -0700, "PD" <TheDraperFamily@gmail.com> wrote:
Golden Boar wrote:
I did not phrase my question very well. I will try again.
Apart from their speeds, what are the differences that can be
*experimentally detected*, between a fast electron and a slow muon?
A fast electron will not penetrate iron. A slow muon most probably
will, as long as it's not *too* slow.
PD
Because of the difference in their rest masses, the 'curlicues' made
by electrons and muons in particle detectors have a different radius
of curvature in a crossed E-B field. Using crossed E-B fields is an
old trick.
the softrat
Sometimes I get so tired of the taste of my own toes.
mailto:softrat@pobox.com
--
He's about as subtle as a chainsaw, but lacking the social grace.
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| User: "Jon Bell" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
27 Aug 2005 01:29:40 AM |
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In article <1125121317.879738.162040@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
Golden Boar <goldenboar@hotmail.com> wrote:
Apart from their speeds, what are the differences that can be
*experimentally detected*, between a fast electron and a slow muon?
Muons decay (with a mean lifetime of 2.2 microseconds when at rest, if I
remember correctly). Electrons don't.
--
Jon Bell <jtbell@presby.edu> Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA
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| User: "Golden Boar" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
27 Aug 2005 02:57:06 AM |
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Jon Bell wrote:
In article <1125121317.879738.162040@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
Golden Boar <goldenboar@hotmail.com> wrote:
Apart from their speeds, what are the differences that can be
*experimentally detected*, between a fast electron and a slow muon?
Muons decay (with a mean lifetime of 2.2 microseconds when at rest, if I
remember correctly). Electrons don't.
--
Jon Bell <jtbell@presby.edu> Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA
I said a slow muon, not a muon at rest.
Also, if the muon decayed, it would no longer exist, and therefore
could not be moving.
While the muon is moving, it cannot possibly have decayed yet, so its
decay products can not be used to detect a difference.
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| User: "Sam Wormley" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
27 Aug 2005 09:14:34 AM |
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Golden Boar wrote:
Jon Bell wrote:
In article <1125121317.879738.162040@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
Golden Boar <goldenboar@hotmail.com> wrote:
Apart from their speeds, what are the differences that can be
*experimentally detected*, between a fast electron and a slow muon?
Muons decay (with a mean lifetime of 2.2 microseconds when at rest, if I
remember correctly). Electrons don't.
--
Jon Bell <jtbell@presby.edu> Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA
I said a slow muon, not a muon at rest.
Also, if the muon decayed, it would no longer exist, and therefore
could not be moving.
While the muon is moving, it cannot possibly have decayed yet, so its
decay products can not be used to detect a difference.
Golden Boar--Motion of a muon doesn't keep it from decaying, but
relativistic velocity 9with respect to the observer) changes its
measured mean life time. Muon do exist and they are *not* stable
particles.
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| User: "Golden Boar" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
27 Aug 2005 02:26:40 PM |
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I never said the motion of the muons keeps it from decaying.
I said that while a muon is moving it has not yet decayed.
If it had decayed it would no longer be a muon that was moving, so the
detection must take place before the muon decays.
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| User: "Sam Wormley" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
27 Aug 2005 08:08:27 PM |
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Golden Boar wrote:
I never said the motion of the muons keeps it from decaying.
I said that while a muon is moving it has not yet decayed.
If it had decayed it would no longer be a muon that was moving, so the
detection must take place before the muon decays.
or... we detect the decay products and energies.
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| User: "Aydin" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
27 Aug 2005 09:34:00 AM |
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Golden Boar wrote:
Jon Bell wrote:
In article <1125121317.879738.162040@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
Golden Boar <goldenboar@hotmail.com> wrote:
Apart from their speeds, what are the differences that can be
*experimentally detected*, between a fast electron and a slow muon?
Muons decay (with a mean lifetime of 2.2 microseconds when at rest, if I
remember correctly). Electrons don't.
--
Jon Bell <jtbell@presby.edu> Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA
I said a slow muon, not a muon at rest.
Also, if the muon decayed, it would no longer exist, and therefore
could not be moving.
While the muon is moving, it cannot possibly have decayed yet, so its
decay products can not be used to detect a difference.
Well, if you want an instantanous measurement, (without thinking about
quantum and relativistic effects-I have no idea whether those are
relevant or how they'd affect stuff) a fast moving electron would
produce a greater magnetic field than a slow muon (both have the same
charge if I'm not mistaken). They'd probably have different paths when
subjected to a magnetic field too.
Just my guess...
Aydin
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| User: "Jon Bell" |
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| Title: Re: Is there a difference between a high speed electron and a muon? |
25 Aug 2005 06:53:48 PM |
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In article <1124955648.865191.177400@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
Golden Boar <goldenboar@hotmail.com> wrote:
What are the differences between this electron and the muon?
If the electron undergoes a charged-current weak interaction (i.e.
mediated by W boson), an electron-neutrino comes out.
If the muon undergoes a charged-current weak interaction, a muon-neutrino
comes out.
I expect the next question will be, "What is the difference between an
electron-neutrino and a muon-neutrino?" :-)
If it's a muon-neutrino, when it later undergoes a charged-current weak
interaction, it will usually produce a muon. If it's an
electron-neutrino, when it later undergoes a charged-current weak
interaction, it will usually produce an electron. I say "usually" because
there is a certain probability (depending on energy and distance traveled)
that an electron-neutrino will convert itself into a muon-neutrino and
vice versa. Look up "neutrino oscillations".
--
Jon Bell <jtbell@presby.edu> Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA
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