Paper 4, Section II, A

Dynamics and Relativity | Part IA, 2017

(a) A photon with energy E1E_{1} in the laboratory frame collides with an electron of rest mass mm that is initially at rest in the laboratory frame. As a result of the collision the photon is deflected through an angle θ\theta as measured in the laboratory frame and its energy changes to E2E_{2}.

Derive an expression for 1E21E1\frac{1}{E_{2}}-\frac{1}{E_{1}} in terms of θ,m\theta, m and cc.

(b) A deuterium atom with rest mass m1m_{1} and energy E1E_{1} in the laboratory frame collides with another deuterium atom that is initially at rest in the laboratory frame. The result of this collision is a proton of rest mass m2m_{2} and energy E2E_{2}, and a tritium atom of rest mass m3m_{3}. Show that, if the proton is emitted perpendicular to the incoming trajectory of the deuterium atom as measured in the laboratory frame, then

m32=m22+2(m1+E1c2)(m1E2c2)m_{3}^{2}=m_{2}^{2}+2\left(m_{1}+\frac{E_{1}}{c^{2}}\right)\left(m_{1}-\frac{E_{2}}{c^{2}}\right)

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