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Question: Answered & Verified by Expert
Before the neutrino hypothesis, the beta decay process was throught to be the transitions.
$$
\mathrm{n} \rightarrow \mathrm{p}+\overline{\mathrm{e}}
$$
If this was true, show that if the neutron was at rest, the proton and electron would emerge with fixed energies and calculate them. Experimentally, the electron energy was found to have a large range.
PhysicsNuclear Physics
Solution:
2020 Upvotes Verified Answer
Before $\beta$ decay neutron is at rest
Hence $E_n=m_n c^2, p_n=0$ as the velocity is zero.
By the law of conservation of momentum.
$$
p_n=p_p+p_e
$$
Let $\mathrm{p}_{\mathrm{e}}=\mathrm{p}_{\mathrm{p}}$ then
$$
\mathrm{p}_{\mathrm{p}}+\mathrm{p}_{\mathrm{e}}=0 \Rightarrow\left|\mathrm{p}_{\mathrm{p}}\right|=\left|\mathrm{p}_{\mathrm{e}}\right|=\mathrm{p}
$$
Also, energy of proton
$$
\mathrm{E}_{\mathrm{p}}=\left(\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{p}}^2 \mathrm{c}^4+\mathrm{p}_{\mathrm{p}}^2 \mathrm{c}^2\right)^{\frac{1}{2}}=\sqrt{\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{p}}^2 \mathrm{c}^4+\mathrm{p}_{\mathrm{p}}^2 \mathrm{c}^2}
$$
energy of electron
$$
\mathrm{E}_{\mathrm{e}}=\left(\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{e}}^2 \mathrm{c}^4+\mathrm{p}_{\mathrm{e}}^2 \mathrm{c}^2\right)^{\frac{1}{2}}=\sqrt{\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{e}}^2 \mathrm{c}^4+\mathrm{pe}^2 \mathrm{c}^2}
$$
By the law of conservation of energy
$$
\begin{aligned}
&\begin{array}{l}
\mathrm{E}_{\mathrm{p}}+\mathrm{E}_{\mathrm{e}}=\mathrm{E}_{\mathrm{n}} \\
\text { if }\left|\mathrm{p}_{\mathrm{e}}\right|=\left|\mathrm{p}_{\mathrm{p}}\right|=\mathrm{p}
\end{array} \\
&\left(\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{p}}^2 \mathrm{c}^4+\mathrm{p}^2 \mathrm{c}^2\right)^{\frac{1}{2}}+\left(\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{e}}^2 \mathrm{c}^4+\mathrm{p}^2 \mathrm{c}^2\right)^{\frac{1}{2}}=\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{n}} \mathrm{c}^2 \\
&\mathrm{~m}_{\mathrm{p}} \mathrm{c}^2 \approx 936 \mathrm{MeV}, \mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{n}} \mathrm{c}^2 \approx 938 \mathrm{MeV}, \\
&\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{e}} \mathrm{c}^2=0.51 \mathrm{MeV} \simeq 0.5 \mathrm{MeV}
\end{aligned}
$$
As, the energy difference between $\mathrm{n}$ and $\mathrm{p}$ is very small, pc will be small, $\mathrm{pc}< < \mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{p}} \mathrm{c}^2$, while pc may be greater than $\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{e}} \mathrm{c}^2$, So by neglecting
$$
\begin{aligned}
&\left(\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{e}} \mathrm{c}^2\right)=(0.5)^2 \\
\Rightarrow & \mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{p}} \mathrm{c}^2+\frac{\mathrm{p}^2 \mathrm{c}^2}{2 \mathrm{~m}_{\mathrm{p}}^2 \mathrm{c}^4}=\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{n}} \mathrm{c}^2-\mathrm{pc}
\end{aligned}
$$
or $m_p c^2+\frac{p^2 c^2}{2 m_p^2 c^4}+p c=m_n c^2$
To first order
$$
\begin{aligned}
\mathrm{pc} &=\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{n}} \mathrm{c}^2-\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{p}} \mathrm{c}^2 \\
&=938 \mathrm{MeV}-936 \mathrm{MeV}=2 \mathrm{MeV} \\
\mathrm{E} &=\mathrm{mc}^2, \mathrm{E}^2=\mathrm{m}^2 \mathrm{c}^4
\end{aligned}
$$
$\mathrm{E}$ is the energy of either proton or neutron, then

$$
\begin{gathered}
\mathrm{E}_{\mathrm{p}}=\left(\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{p}}^2 \mathrm{c}^4+\mathrm{p}^2 \mathrm{c}^2\right)^{\frac{1}{2}}=\sqrt{936^2+2^2}=936 \mathrm{MeV} \\
\mathrm{E}_{\mathrm{e}}=\left(\mathrm{m}_{\mathrm{e}}^2 \mathrm{c}^4+\mathrm{p}^2 \mathrm{c}^2\right)^{\frac{1}{2}}=\sqrt{(0.51)^2+2^2}=2.06 \mathrm{MeV}
\end{gathered}
$$

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