New answers tagged electroweak
2
votes
Is the mass of the $Z$ due to mixing with the photon "precursor" $B$ or to interaction with the Higgs?
To summarise:
It is correct that the photon and the $Z$ boson are linear combinations of $W^0$ and $B$.
The $Z^0$ (and the $W\pm$) get their mass via the Higgs mechanism, i.e. the vacuum expactation ...
- 3,649
4
votes
Can we derive the formula $Q=I_3+\frac{1}{2}(B+S)$ instead of accepting it as an empirical relation?
If you take pure QCD with massless $u$, $d$ and $s$ quarks, hadrons form multiplets of $U(3)$. This means that they can be characterized by three quantum numbers that are the eigenvalues of the three ...
- 1,964
5
votes
How is it possible for $W$-boson to be so heavy when neutron and proton have similar mass?
I know that in a beta decay a neutron turns into a proton and a W-boson.
The mistake is in the last words "and a W-Boson". The correct statement is "a virtual W-boson".
I know ...
- 222k
2
votes
Accepted
How is it possible for $W$-boson to be so heavy when neutron and proton have similar mass?
In beta decay, a neutron, composed of two down quarks and an up quark, decays to a proton composed of a down quark and two up quarks. In the process an antineutrino and an electron are emitted.
The W ...
- 73.8k
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