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    Tau Theta

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    pradeep reddy
    The document discusses the Tau-Theta puzzle observed in the 1950s, where the τ+ and θ+ particles appeared identical except for their parity. This was puzzling because parity was believed to be conserved. In 1956, Lee and Yang proposed that parity may not be conserved in the weak interaction. Wu then tested this and discovered parity is violated in beta decays. These results confirmed that the τ+ and θ+ were simply decay modes of a single particle, the K+, since parity was not conserved as previously believed.

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    Tau Theta

    Uploaded by

    pradeep reddy
    6K views3 pages
    The document discusses the Tau-Theta puzzle observed in the 1950s, where the τ+ and θ+ particles appeared identical except for their parity. This was puzzling because parity was believed to be conserved. In 1956, Lee and Yang proposed that parity may not be conserved in the weak interaction. Wu then tested this and discovered parity is violated in beta decays. These results confirmed that the τ+ and θ+ were simply decay modes of a single particle, the K+, since parity was not conserved as previously believed.

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    tau-theta

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    The document discusses the Tau-Theta puzzle observed in the 1950s, where the τ+ and θ+ particles appeared identical except for their parity. This was puzzling because parity was believed to be conserved. In 1956, Lee and Yang proposed that parity may not be conserved in the weak interaction. Wu then tested this and discovered parity is violated in beta decays. These results confirmed that the τ+ and θ+ were simply decay modes of a single particle, the K+, since parity was not conserved as previously believed.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    6K views3 pages

    Tau Theta

    Uploaded by

    pradeep reddy
    The document discusses the Tau-Theta puzzle observed in the 1950s, where the τ+ and θ+ particles appeared identical except for their parity. This was puzzling because parity was believed to be conserved. In 1956, Lee and Yang proposed that parity may not be conserved in the weak interaction. Wu then tested this and discovered parity is violated in beta decays. These results confirmed that the τ+ and θ+ were simply decay modes of a single particle, the K+, since parity was not conserved as previously believed.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    The Tau-Theta Puzzle

    In the early 1950's, two strange particle decays were observed

    τ+⇒π+π+π-
    θ+⇒π+π0

    Pions are eigenstates of parity with intrinsic spinParity


    JP=0- (i.e. a pseudoscalar)

    The parity of two pions (π1 & π2) with relative orbital angular
    momentum L(1,2) is

    P(ππ) = P(π1) x P(π2) x (-1)L(1,2)


    = (-1) x (-1) x (-1)L(1,2)
    = (-1)L(1,2)
    The parity of three pions is

    1) x P(π2) x (-1) ] x P(π3) x 


    L(1,2)
    P(πππ) = [P(π
    (-1)L(12,3)
    = - (-1)L(1,2) x (-1)L(12,3)
    = - (-1)L(1,2)+ L(12,3)
    where L(12,3) is the orbital angular momentum between the
    third pion and the first two. If J is the spin of the parent particle,
    then by angular momentum conservation, we must have

    J(θ+) = L(1,2)
    J(τ+) = L(1,2) + L(12,3)
    If parity is conserved in the decay, the parity of the parent
    particle is the same as the parity of the final state pion system.
    So we expect

    P(θ+) = P(ππ) = (-1)L(1,2) = (-1)J(θ +)


    P(τ+) = P(πππ) = - (-1)L(1,2)+ L(12,3)) = -(-1)J(τ +)

    So the θ+ and τ+ cannot have the same spinparity (JP) if parity is


    conserved, and the θ+ and τ+ must be different particles.
    The existence of two new particles would not be of concern
    except that the θ+ and τ+ appeared to be otherwise identical -
    they had the same masses, the same lifetimes, and were
    produced and interacted with the same lifetimes.

    Further measurements showed that J(θ+) = J(τ+) = 0.

    Why would there be two identical particles differing only by


    their parity?
    In 1956 T. D. Lee and C. N. Yang pointed out that parity
    conservation had never been tested for the weak interaction. If
    parity was not conserved, the θ+ and τ+ were simply the three
    and two pion decay modes of a single particle.
    C.S. Wu quickly tested parity conservation in beta decays of
    Co60 and discovered that parity is 100% violated. Neutrinos are
    "left-handed", their spin is always anti-parallel with their
    momentum.
    These results were immediately confirmed by other experiments.
    These, or similar experiments, could have been done 30 years
    earlier. (In fact, some experiments probably saw parity violating
    effects in the 1920's, but nobody realized it since nobody
    expected it. Part of the problem was that the idea and importance
    of "parity" was only recognized in the 1930's by Wigner.)

    The θ+/τ+ is now known as the K+.

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