Does a proton have a "bandgap"? If yes, what happens when a photon is absorbed by a proton?

lexi13xoxla

lexi13xoxla

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2022-08-19

Does a proton have a "bandgap"? If yes, what happens when a photon is absorbed by a proton?

Answer & Explanation

cydostwng6c

cydostwng6c

Beginner2022-08-20Added 13 answers

For single protons, as in a plasma , there exists Compton scattering .
The photon transfers part of its energy to the proton and scatters off at a lower energy/frequency, the proton taking up the energy-momentum balance. This is a continuous spectrum, from very low energies on.
For high energy photons the quark structure of the proton can be probed and depending on the energy more particles are created by the interaction with the constituent quarks. There are no energy levels for the quarks within the proton.
There do exist baryonic resonances, i.e. with the same three quarks at higher excited states. If one were to scatter gammas of the appropriate energy, some resonances will be excited , for example the N(1520) decays into a proton and a gamma so in the crossection a resonance will be seen passing that energy of center of mass in proton gamma scattering.
This is a theoretical study of gamma proton scattering at high energies.

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