Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-1-paper-of-the-university-of-oxford/2017/9/c/ii/solution
Past exam of the physics 1 paper of the University of Oxford 2017 9 c ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
At the threshold found in i, both products are stationary in the centre-of-momentum frame, so they have the same velocity in the laboratory frame. Take the energetic incident photon along . The total energy is and total momentum is , so the centre-of-momentum frame moves atFor the numerical threshold,This is extremely close to, but strictly below, the speed of light. Each product has energy in the laboratory frame. Above threshold the same ratio of total momentum to total energy determines the motion of the pair's centre-of-momentum frame, but the individual electron and Positron need not have a common velocity.
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