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Main Author: Feng, Justin C.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.05764
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author Feng, Justin C.
author_facet Feng, Justin C.
contents In this note, I argue that tidal effects generically limit the kinetic energy of a single massive elementary particle in the vicinity of a compact object. As the kinetic energy is increased, the differences in the tidal potential over a Compton wavelength will at some point exceed the rest mass of the particle. Above the threshold, one expects tidal effects to disrupt single-particle states, and in turn, one might expect an incident particle scattering off a compact object with an energy significantly exceeding the threshold to result in a shower of lower energy particles. A calculation reveals that the threshold for neutrinos scattering off a $10 M_\odot$ black hole within three Schwarzschild radii is roughly $1~\text{GeV}$.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_05764
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Gravity limits the kinetic energy of a massive elementary particle
Feng, Justin C.
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
83B05, 83C57
In this note, I argue that tidal effects generically limit the kinetic energy of a single massive elementary particle in the vicinity of a compact object. As the kinetic energy is increased, the differences in the tidal potential over a Compton wavelength will at some point exceed the rest mass of the particle. Above the threshold, one expects tidal effects to disrupt single-particle states, and in turn, one might expect an incident particle scattering off a compact object with an energy significantly exceeding the threshold to result in a shower of lower energy particles. A calculation reveals that the threshold for neutrinos scattering off a $10 M_\odot$ black hole within three Schwarzschild radii is roughly $1~\text{GeV}$.
title Gravity limits the kinetic energy of a massive elementary particle
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
83B05, 83C57
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.05764