Can protons and antiprotons annihilate into photons?
Question: It is often said that when an electron an antielectron come together, they spontaneously form two photons of gamma ray radiation. Is it the same with a proton an antiproton? Can they transform into gamma rays when they come into contact? Will all the quarks from the proton and antiproton cease to exist as quarks? Or, in which case would quarks of the initial pair cease to exist as quarks an begin their existence as gamma rays? This example should be distinguished from examples of a collision between an accelerated proton and antiproton. Here, both accelerated particles carry extra mass from which gamma rays could be created while retaining the integrity of the initial pair of a proton and antiproton. Thank you for your help Answer: A proton and antiproton which collide can indeed annihilate and produce two gamma rays (ie., 2 photons) with nothing else left over. Just so you are familiar with the quark structure of protons: proton = 3 quarks: 2 “up” quarks and 1 “down” quark a
