What happens to the quantum information of a particle and an antiparticle when they annihilate?
I understand that the quantum no-deleting theorem dictates that it's impossible to delete quantum information, so what happens to the quantum information of a particle and an antiparticle when they annihilate each other?
quantum-mechanics quantum-information conservation-laws antimatter
edited 5 hours ago
QuIcKmAtHs
2,5354928
asked 6 hours ago
Satyajit Sen
644
add a comment |
I understand that the quantum no-deleting theorem dictates that it's impossible to delete quantum information, so what happens to the quantum information of a particle and an antiparticle when they annihilate each other?
quantum-mechanics quantum-information conservation-laws antimatter
edited 5 hours ago
QuIcKmAtHs
2,5354928
asked 6 hours ago
Satyajit Sen
644
5
The annihilation of antimatter is accompanied by the production of a photon pair
– Triatticus
6 hours ago
@Triatticus The photon pair carries no information on what particles annihilated.
– safesphere
5 hours ago
1
@safesphere That's not quite true. If the reaction only produces a pair of photons we know that the original particles were an electron & a positron, with relatively low energy, and that their spins were antiparallel. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positronium
– PM 2Ring
4 hours ago
4
They don't turn into a photon pair, they turn into a big superposition of states with many different numbers and types of particles and with many different energies and momenta. That's where the information is.
– Javier
2 hours ago
add a comment |
I understand that the quantum no-deleting theorem dictates that it's impossible to delete quantum information, so what happens to the quantum information of a particle and an antiparticle when they annihilate each other?
quantum-mechanics quantum-information conservation-laws antimatter
edited 5 hours ago
QuIcKmAtHs
2,5354928
asked 6 hours ago
Satyajit Sen
644
I understand that the quantum no-deleting theorem dictates that it's impossible to delete quantum information, so what happens to the quantum information of a particle and an antiparticle when they annihilate each other?
quantum-mechanics quantum-information conservation-laws antimatter
quantum-mechanics quantum-information conservation-laws antimatter
edited 5 hours ago
QuIcKmAtHs
2,5354928
asked 6 hours ago
Satyajit Sen
644
edited 5 hours ago
QuIcKmAtHs
2,5354928
asked 6 hours ago
Satyajit Sen
644
edited 5 hours ago
QuIcKmAtHs
2,5354928
edited 5 hours ago
QuIcKmAtHs
2,5354928
edited 5 hours ago
QuIcKmAtHs
2,5354928
2,5354928
asked 6 hours ago
Satyajit Sen
644
asked 6 hours ago
Satyajit Sen
644
asked 6 hours ago
Satyajit Sen
644
644
5
The annihilation of antimatter is accompanied by the production of a photon pair
– Triatticus
6 hours ago
@Triatticus The photon pair carries no information on what particles annihilated.
– safesphere
5 hours ago
1
@safesphere That's not quite true. If the reaction only produces a pair of photons we know that the original particles were an electron & a positron, with relatively low energy, and that their spins were antiparallel. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positronium
– PM 2Ring
4 hours ago
4
They don't turn into a photon pair, they turn into a big superposition of states with many different numbers and types of particles and with many different energies and momenta. That's where the information is.
– Javier
2 hours ago
add a comment |
5
The annihilation of antimatter is accompanied by the production of a photon pair
– Triatticus
6 hours ago
@Triatticus The photon pair carries no information on what particles annihilated.
– safesphere
5 hours ago
1
@safesphere That's not quite true. If the reaction only produces a pair of photons we know that the original particles were an electron & a positron, with relatively low energy, and that their spins were antiparallel. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positronium
– PM 2Ring
4 hours ago
4
They don't turn into a photon pair, they turn into a big superposition of states with many different numbers and types of particles and with many different energies and momenta. That's where the information is.
– Javier
2 hours ago
5
5
The annihilation of antimatter is accompanied by the production of a photon pair
– Triatticus
6 hours ago
The annihilation of antimatter is accompanied by the production of a photon pair
– Triatticus
6 hours ago
@Triatticus The photon pair carries no information on what particles annihilated.
– safesphere
5 hours ago
@Triatticus The photon pair carries no information on what particles annihilated.
– safesphere
5 hours ago
1
1
@safesphere That's not quite true. If the reaction only produces a pair of photons we know that the original particles were an electron & a positron, with relatively low energy, and that their spins were antiparallel. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positronium
– PM 2Ring
4 hours ago
@safesphere That's not quite true. If the reaction only produces a pair of photons we know that the original particles were an electron & a positron, with relatively low energy, and that their spins were antiparallel. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positronium
– PM 2Ring
4 hours ago
4
4
They don't turn into a photon pair, they turn into a big superposition of states with many different numbers and types of particles and with many different energies and momenta. That's where the information is.
– Javier
2 hours ago
They don't turn into a photon pair, they turn into a big superposition of states with many different numbers and types of particles and with many different energies and momenta. That's where the information is.
– Javier
2 hours ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
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Particle + antiparticle annihilation preserves quantum information. It is often said that annihilation creates a pair of photons, but that's a big simplification. It only applies to the electron + positron, and even in that case it may lead to more than 2 photons. If the electron's and positron's spins are parallel, an odd number of photons must be produced, so in that case at least 3 photons are produced, since production of a single photon is prohibited by momentum conservation. If the electron's and positron's spins are antiparallel, then an even number of photons are produced. In either case, producing more than the minimum number of photons has a low probability. If the electron and positron have very high kinetic energy, other particles may be produced, eg D or B mesons, or even the weak gauge bosons, if the KE is high enough.
The interaction cross-section for neutrino + antineutrino annihilation is very small, and the reaction is only possible for extremely energetic particles, since the result is a Z boson, which has a huge mass, as mentioned in this answer.
When more complex particles annihilate, things get messy. From Wikipedia:
[...] when a proton encounters an antiproton, one of its quarks,
usually a constituent valence quark, may annihilate with an antiquark
(which more rarely could be a sea quark) to produce a gluon, after
which the gluon together with the remaining quarks, antiquarks, and
gluons will undergo a complex process of rearrangement
(called hadronization or fragmentation) into a number of mesons,
(mostly pions and kaons), which will share the total energy and
momentum.
The newly created mesons are unstable, and unless they encounter and
interact with some other material, they will decay in a series of
reactions that ultimately produce only gamma
rays, electrons, positrons, and neutrinos. This type of reaction will
occur between any baryon (particle consisting of three quarks) and
any antibaryon consisting of three antiquarks, one of which corresponds
to a quark in the baryon.
In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy.
answered 4 hours ago
PM 2Ring
2,1432715
I must be missing something. When you say "In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy," that seems equivalent to saying that if you know the sum of several numbers, you will somehow know what each of those numbers is.
– D. Halsey
1 hour ago
@D.Halsey Except that annihilation doesn't produce a single "sum", it produces multiple particles, and conserves energy and momentum (linear & angular).
– PM 2Ring
52 mins ago
@D.Halsey Not quite, because not all numbers are possible. A better analogy is factorization - when you multiply prime numbers together, you get one number out of N, but you lose no information. It works both ways, which is quite critical for physics.
– Luaan
1 min ago
add a comment |
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1 Answer
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Particle + antiparticle annihilation preserves quantum information. It is often said that annihilation creates a pair of photons, but that's a big simplification. It only applies to the electron + positron, and even in that case it may lead to more than 2 photons. If the electron's and positron's spins are parallel, an odd number of photons must be produced, so in that case at least 3 photons are produced, since production of a single photon is prohibited by momentum conservation. If the electron's and positron's spins are antiparallel, then an even number of photons are produced. In either case, producing more than the minimum number of photons has a low probability. If the electron and positron have very high kinetic energy, other particles may be produced, eg D or B mesons, or even the weak gauge bosons, if the KE is high enough.
The interaction cross-section for neutrino + antineutrino annihilation is very small, and the reaction is only possible for extremely energetic particles, since the result is a Z boson, which has a huge mass, as mentioned in this answer.
When more complex particles annihilate, things get messy. From Wikipedia:
[...] when a proton encounters an antiproton, one of its quarks,
usually a constituent valence quark, may annihilate with an antiquark
(which more rarely could be a sea quark) to produce a gluon, after
which the gluon together with the remaining quarks, antiquarks, and
gluons will undergo a complex process of rearrangement
(called hadronization or fragmentation) into a number of mesons,
(mostly pions and kaons), which will share the total energy and
momentum.
The newly created mesons are unstable, and unless they encounter and
interact with some other material, they will decay in a series of
reactions that ultimately produce only gamma
rays, electrons, positrons, and neutrinos. This type of reaction will
occur between any baryon (particle consisting of three quarks) and
any antibaryon consisting of three antiquarks, one of which corresponds
to a quark in the baryon.
In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy.
answered 4 hours ago
PM 2Ring
2,1432715
I must be missing something. When you say "In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy," that seems equivalent to saying that if you know the sum of several numbers, you will somehow know what each of those numbers is.
– D. Halsey
1 hour ago
@D.Halsey Except that annihilation doesn't produce a single "sum", it produces multiple particles, and conserves energy and momentum (linear & angular).
– PM 2Ring
52 mins ago
@D.Halsey Not quite, because not all numbers are possible. A better analogy is factorization - when you multiply prime numbers together, you get one number out of N, but you lose no information. It works both ways, which is quite critical for physics.
– Luaan
1 min ago
add a comment |
Particle + antiparticle annihilation preserves quantum information. It is often said that annihilation creates a pair of photons, but that's a big simplification. It only applies to the electron + positron, and even in that case it may lead to more than 2 photons. If the electron's and positron's spins are parallel, an odd number of photons must be produced, so in that case at least 3 photons are produced, since production of a single photon is prohibited by momentum conservation. If the electron's and positron's spins are antiparallel, then an even number of photons are produced. In either case, producing more than the minimum number of photons has a low probability. If the electron and positron have very high kinetic energy, other particles may be produced, eg D or B mesons, or even the weak gauge bosons, if the KE is high enough.
The interaction cross-section for neutrino + antineutrino annihilation is very small, and the reaction is only possible for extremely energetic particles, since the result is a Z boson, which has a huge mass, as mentioned in this answer.
When more complex particles annihilate, things get messy. From Wikipedia:
[...] when a proton encounters an antiproton, one of its quarks,
usually a constituent valence quark, may annihilate with an antiquark
(which more rarely could be a sea quark) to produce a gluon, after
which the gluon together with the remaining quarks, antiquarks, and
gluons will undergo a complex process of rearrangement
(called hadronization or fragmentation) into a number of mesons,
(mostly pions and kaons), which will share the total energy and
momentum.
The newly created mesons are unstable, and unless they encounter and
interact with some other material, they will decay in a series of
reactions that ultimately produce only gamma
rays, electrons, positrons, and neutrinos. This type of reaction will
occur between any baryon (particle consisting of three quarks) and
any antibaryon consisting of three antiquarks, one of which corresponds
to a quark in the baryon.
In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy.
answered 4 hours ago
PM 2Ring
2,1432715
I must be missing something. When you say "In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy," that seems equivalent to saying that if you know the sum of several numbers, you will somehow know what each of those numbers is.
– D. Halsey
1 hour ago
@D.Halsey Except that annihilation doesn't produce a single "sum", it produces multiple particles, and conserves energy and momentum (linear & angular).
– PM 2Ring
52 mins ago
@D.Halsey Not quite, because not all numbers are possible. A better analogy is factorization - when you multiply prime numbers together, you get one number out of N, but you lose no information. It works both ways, which is quite critical for physics.
– Luaan
1 min ago
add a comment |
Particle + antiparticle annihilation preserves quantum information. It is often said that annihilation creates a pair of photons, but that's a big simplification. It only applies to the electron + positron, and even in that case it may lead to more than 2 photons. If the electron's and positron's spins are parallel, an odd number of photons must be produced, so in that case at least 3 photons are produced, since production of a single photon is prohibited by momentum conservation. If the electron's and positron's spins are antiparallel, then an even number of photons are produced. In either case, producing more than the minimum number of photons has a low probability. If the electron and positron have very high kinetic energy, other particles may be produced, eg D or B mesons, or even the weak gauge bosons, if the KE is high enough.
The interaction cross-section for neutrino + antineutrino annihilation is very small, and the reaction is only possible for extremely energetic particles, since the result is a Z boson, which has a huge mass, as mentioned in this answer.
When more complex particles annihilate, things get messy. From Wikipedia:
[...] when a proton encounters an antiproton, one of its quarks,
usually a constituent valence quark, may annihilate with an antiquark
(which more rarely could be a sea quark) to produce a gluon, after
which the gluon together with the remaining quarks, antiquarks, and
gluons will undergo a complex process of rearrangement
(called hadronization or fragmentation) into a number of mesons,
(mostly pions and kaons), which will share the total energy and
momentum.
The newly created mesons are unstable, and unless they encounter and
interact with some other material, they will decay in a series of
reactions that ultimately produce only gamma
rays, electrons, positrons, and neutrinos. This type of reaction will
occur between any baryon (particle consisting of three quarks) and
any antibaryon consisting of three antiquarks, one of which corresponds
to a quark in the baryon.
In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy.
answered 4 hours ago
PM 2Ring
2,1432715
Particle + antiparticle annihilation preserves quantum information. It is often said that annihilation creates a pair of photons, but that's a big simplification. It only applies to the electron + positron, and even in that case it may lead to more than 2 photons. If the electron's and positron's spins are parallel, an odd number of photons must be produced, so in that case at least 3 photons are produced, since production of a single photon is prohibited by momentum conservation. If the electron's and positron's spins are antiparallel, then an even number of photons are produced. In either case, producing more than the minimum number of photons has a low probability. If the electron and positron have very high kinetic energy, other particles may be produced, eg D or B mesons, or even the weak gauge bosons, if the KE is high enough.
The interaction cross-section for neutrino + antineutrino annihilation is very small, and the reaction is only possible for extremely energetic particles, since the result is a Z boson, which has a huge mass, as mentioned in this answer.
When more complex particles annihilate, things get messy. From Wikipedia:
[...] when a proton encounters an antiproton, one of its quarks,
usually a constituent valence quark, may annihilate with an antiquark
(which more rarely could be a sea quark) to produce a gluon, after
which the gluon together with the remaining quarks, antiquarks, and
gluons will undergo a complex process of rearrangement
(called hadronization or fragmentation) into a number of mesons,
(mostly pions and kaons), which will share the total energy and
momentum.
The newly created mesons are unstable, and unless they encounter and
interact with some other material, they will decay in a series of
reactions that ultimately produce only gamma
rays, electrons, positrons, and neutrinos. This type of reaction will
occur between any baryon (particle consisting of three quarks) and
any antibaryon consisting of three antiquarks, one of which corresponds
to a quark in the baryon.
In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy.
answered 4 hours ago
PM 2Ring
2,1432715
edited 4 hours ago
answered 4 hours ago
PM 2Ring
2,1432715
answered 4 hours ago
PM 2Ring
2,1432715
answered 4 hours ago
PM 2Ring
2,1432715
2,1432715
I must be missing something. When you say "In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy," that seems equivalent to saying that if you know the sum of several numbers, you will somehow know what each of those numbers is.
– D. Halsey
1 hour ago
@D.Halsey Except that annihilation doesn't produce a single "sum", it produces multiple particles, and conserves energy and momentum (linear & angular).
– PM 2Ring
52 mins ago
@D.Halsey Not quite, because not all numbers are possible. A better analogy is factorization - when you multiply prime numbers together, you get one number out of N, but you lose no information. It works both ways, which is quite critical for physics.
– Luaan
1 min ago
add a comment |
I must be missing something. When you say "In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy," that seems equivalent to saying that if you know the sum of several numbers, you will somehow know what each of those numbers is.
– D. Halsey
1 hour ago
@D.Halsey Except that annihilation doesn't produce a single "sum", it produces multiple particles, and conserves energy and momentum (linear & angular).
– PM 2Ring
52 mins ago
@D.Halsey Not quite, because not all numbers are possible. A better analogy is factorization - when you multiply prime numbers together, you get one number out of N, but you lose no information. It works both ways, which is quite critical for physics.
– Luaan
1 min ago
I must be missing something. When you say "In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy," that seems equivalent to saying that if you know the sum of several numbers, you will somehow know what each of those numbers is.
– D. Halsey
1 hour ago
I must be missing something. When you say "In summary, the results of matter + antimatter annihilation preserve quantum information because the results depend on the type(s) of particle, their spin, and their kinetic energy," that seems equivalent to saying that if you know the sum of several numbers, you will somehow know what each of those numbers is.
– D. Halsey
1 hour ago
@D.Halsey Except that annihilation doesn't produce a single "sum", it produces multiple particles, and conserves energy and momentum (linear & angular).
– PM 2Ring
52 mins ago
@D.Halsey Except that annihilation doesn't produce a single "sum", it produces multiple particles, and conserves energy and momentum (linear & angular).
– PM 2Ring
52 mins ago
@D.Halsey Not quite, because not all numbers are possible. A better analogy is factorization - when you multiply prime numbers together, you get one number out of N, but you lose no information. It works both ways, which is quite critical for physics.
– Luaan
1 min ago
@D.Halsey Not quite, because not all numbers are possible. A better analogy is factorization - when you multiply prime numbers together, you get one number out of N, but you lose no information. It works both ways, which is quite critical for physics.
– Luaan
1 min ago
add a comment |
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5
The annihilation of antimatter is accompanied by the production of a photon pair
– Triatticus
6 hours ago
@Triatticus The photon pair carries no information on what particles annihilated.
– safesphere
5 hours ago
1
@safesphere That's not quite true. If the reaction only produces a pair of photons we know that the original particles were an electron & a positron, with relatively low energy, and that their spins were antiparallel. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positronium
– PM 2Ring
4 hours ago
4
They don't turn into a photon pair, they turn into a big superposition of states with many different numbers and types of particles and with many different energies and momenta. That's where the information is.
– Javier
2 hours ago