A neutral η⁰ (having mass 0.642 u)that is at rest decays into two gamma ray photons.What is the energy in MeV of each photon? (1 u = 931.5 MeV/c²) A) 299 MeV B) 597 MeV C) 1190 MeV D) 199 MeV E) 149 MeV

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The energy of the particle before decay is given by its mass-energy equivalence, E = mc^2. Given the mass is 0.642 u and 1 u = 931.5 MeV/c^2, the total energy is 0.642 u * 931.5 MeV/u = 598.163 MeV. Since the particle decays into two photons and energy is conserved, each photon must carry half of the total energy, which is 598.163 MeV / 2 ≈ 299 MeV.

A Neutral η0 (Having Mass 0

A Neutral η⁰ (Having Mass 0