pair production
noun
Physics.
the simultaneous creation of a particle and its antiparticle by a nucleus or particle in an excited state, as when a photon is absorbed.
Origin of pair production
First recorded in 1930–35
Words nearby pair production
pair,
pair annihilation,
pair bond,
pair of compasses,
pair off,
pair production,
pair royal,
pair skating,
pair trawling,
pair-bond,
pair-oar
British Dictionary definitions for pair production
pair production
noun
the production of an electron and a positron from a gamma-ray photon in a strong field as that passes close to an atomic nucleus
Scientific definitions for pair production
pair production
[ pâr ]
The simultaneous creation of a subatomic particle and its antiparticle from some other particle or a field fluctuation. A high-energy gamma ray photon, for example, can spontaneously create an electron-positron pair in a strong electric field. Pair production is essential to theories of particle physics; pair production from gamma rays is used to detect such rays in pair production telescopes, since electrons and positrons are easily detected.