Question

For pair production to occur, what is the minimum energy required for incident photons?

a) 0.5 MeV
b) 1.02 MeV
c) 2 MeV
d) 5 MeV

Answer 1

The minimum energy required for pair production, where an electron and positron are created, is 1.02 MeV, which is twice the rest mass energy of one electron (0.511 MeV).

Step-by-step explanation:

For pair production to occur, the minimum energy required for incident photons must be equivalent to twice the rest mass of an electron. Since the rest mass energy of one electron is approximately 0.511 MeV, you need at least twice that amount for both an electron and a positron to be created. Thus, the correct answer is 1.02 MeV, as option b) suggests. This accounts for the mass-energy equivalence as described by Einstein's E=mc2, and does not include additional energy that would be required for any kinetic energy of the produced particles.