Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/paper-1/section-b/b9/a/solution
Past exam of the physics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2015 Paper 1 Section B B9 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
In the laboratory frame the incoming particle and the composite move along , while the target is initially at rest. In the equal-energy two-photon decay of a moving particle, zero total transverse momentum makes the two photon directions symmetric about . Each photon has energy and momentum magnitude , so longitudinal momentum conservation gives . ThereforeTheir momenta can be written . The opening angle is not in this frame, because the parent carried nonzero total momentum.
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