GATE 2020 PH – Question 62
In the centre-of-mass frame, two protons, each of energy 7000 GeV, collide and produce protons and antiprotons. If proton rest mass is 1 GeV/c², find the maximum possible number of antiprotons.
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Correct answer: 6999 to 6999
Explanation
Total centre-of-mass energy is 14000 GeV. If N antiprotons are produced, baryon-number conservation requires N + 2 protons. At threshold their total rest energy is $(2N+2)$ GeV. Thus $2N+2\leq14000$, giving N ≤ 6999. The maximum occurs when all available energy goes into rest mass, so the answer is 6999.
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