Physics

Problem

(Annihilation with a moving positron) A positron travelling with kinetic energy

K=3.0\times10^{-13}\,\text{J}

collides head-on with an electron that is at rest. The two particles annihilate to form two photons which move in opposite directions and share the liberated energy equally. Constants:

m_{e}=9.11\times10^{-31}\,\text{kg}

h=6.63\times10^{-34}\,\text{J s}

c=3.00\times10^{8}\,\text{m s}^{-1}

(a) Find the total energy released in the annihilation. (b) Determine the energy of each photon. (c) Calculate the corresponding wavelength of the photons, giving the answer to three significant figures.

Browse the problem library