Re: Binary stars

[Ludwik Kowalski <KowalskiL@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU>]

Jack wrote:

> I think that current usage is a mu+ mu- atom.  In that usage,
> quark + anti-quark states (like the J/psi and the Upsilon) are
> referred to generically as quarkonium.

I do not want to be pushed into domains in which I am nearly
ignorant. My illustration, except for the h-bar, can be made
meaningful in an introductory course.

> .. It then cascades, largely by E1 transitions down to low-n
> states from which it annihilates with the proton.  Last time I
> looked, decades ago, the capture time was mysteriously
> longer than expected from calculations.

I would expect the binary system made of a proton and of an
antiproton to last forever in a perfect vacuum. Why do the
two particles annihilate when the distance between them is
much larger (58 F) than the range ( ~2 F) of strong nuclear
forces? Are we going to bring elephants again?

Ludwik Kowalski
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To understand is to find a satisfactory causal relation.
To explain is to express that understanding.
To teach is to promote understanding.
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