pair [pair]

pair production

Formation of an electron and a positron from high-energy electromagnetic radiation traveling through matter, usually in the vicinity of an atomic nucleus. It is a direct conversion of radiant energy into matter in accordance with the equation math.E = math.mmath.c2, where math.E is the amount of energy, math.m is the mass, and math.c is the speed of light. It is one of the principal ways in which high-energy gamma rays are absorbed in matter. The positrons quickly disappear by being reconverted into photons in the process of annihilation with other electrons. Pair production may sometimes refer to the formation of other particle/antiparticle pairs as well.

Learn more about pair production with a free trial on Britannica.com.

The word pair, derived via the French words pair/paire from the Latin par 'equal', can refer to:

See also

Search another word or see pairon Dictionary | Thesaurus |Spanish
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT