Suppose you were to try to create a proton-antiproton pair by annihilation of a very high energy photon. The proton and the anti-proton have the same masses, but opposite charges. What energy photon would be required?
A) 223. MeV
B) 0.47 GeV
C) 1.88 GeV
D) 1.022 MeV
E) 940. MeV

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The energy required to create a proton-antiproton pair is at least twice the rest mass energy of a proton. The rest mass energy of a proton is approximately 0.938 GeV, so the photon must have at least 1.88 GeV of energy.

Suppose You Were to Try to Create a Proton-Antiproton Pair