What particles does a muon decay into?

Thus all muons decay to at least an electron, and two neutrinos. Sometimes, besides these necessary products, additional other particles that have no net charge and spin of zero (e.g., a pair of photons, or an electron-positron pair), are produced.

Are pions muons?

At first, physicists believed that it was the particle we now know as the pion. The pion is only about 30 per cent heavier than the muon, but it behaves very differently. Whereas the muon is uninfluenced by the strong force that works inside the nucleus, the pion plays a role in binding protons with neutrons.

Why do pions decay to muon?

The heavier muon has a larger left-handed component, and its decay is less suppressed. Hence, pions usually decay into muons, although they have less phase space available.

Can muons replace electrons?

In a muonic atom (previously called a mu-mesic atom, now known to be a misnomer as muons are not mesons), an electron is replaced by a muon, which, like the electron, is a lepton.

What does pion decay into?

Charged pions most often decay into muons and muon neutrinos, while neutral pions generally decay into gamma rays.

What particles can a positive pion decay into?

Almost always, a positive pion decays into a muon and a muon neutrino, but in about one-in-12,000 instances, the positive pion decays into a positron and an electron neutrino.

Do pions decay into electrons?

The primary decay mode of a Pion, with probability 0.999877, is a purely Leptonic decay into an anti-Muon and a Muon Neutrino. The second most common decay mode of a Pion, with probability 0.000123, is also a Leptonic decay into an Electron and the corresponding Electron anti-Neutrino.

How are muons made in a lab?

Muons are produced at PSI in very violent collisions, involving fast protons extracted from the main particle accelerator which then collide with a rotating carbon ring target; amongst the new particles created from these collisions are muons, which can then be used for experiments.