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A Majorana fermion (/ m aɪ ə ˈ r ɑː n ə / [1]) or Majorana particle is a fermion that is its own antiparticle.They were hypothesised by Ettore Majorana in 1937. The term is sometimes used in opposition to Dirac fermion, which describes fermions that are not their own antiparticles.
Particles corresponding to Majorana spinors are known as Majorana particles, due to the above self-conjugacy constraint. All the fermions included in the Standard Model have been excluded as Majorana fermions (since they have non-zero electric charge they cannot be antiparticles of themselves) with the exception of the neutrino (which is neutral).
Majorana's last-published paper, in 1937, was an elaboration of a symmetrical theory of electrons and positrons. He predicted that in the class of particles known as fermions, there should be particles that are their own antiparticles. Solution of the Majorana equation yields those particles, now referred to as Majorana fermions.
Weyl fermions (massless), Dirac fermions (massive), and; Majorana fermions (each its own antiparticle). Most Standard Model fermions are believed to be Dirac fermions, although it is unknown at this time whether the neutrinos are Dirac or Majorana fermions (or both). Dirac fermions can be treated as a combination of two Weyl fermions.
Fermions have half-integer spin; for all known elementary fermions this is 1 / 2 . All known fermions except neutrinos, are also Dirac fermions; that is, each known fermion has its own distinct antiparticle. It is not known whether the neutrino is a Dirac fermion or a Majorana fermion. [4] Fermions are the basic building blocks of all ...
Spin-1/2 Majorana fermions, such as the hypothetical neutralino, can be described as either a dependent 4-component Majorana spinor or a single 2-component Weyl spinor. It is not known whether the neutrino is a Majorana fermion or a Dirac fermion; observing neutrinoless double-beta decay experimentally would settle this question.
Majorana fermions, fermions that are their own anti-particle; Mesonic molecule, two mesons bound together by strong force. Micro black hole, sub-atomic sized black holes. Black hole electron, microscopic black hole with the properties of an electron.
If neutrinos are Majorana fermions (that is, their own antiparticle), Neutrino-less double beta decay is possible. Several experiments are searching for this. Pair production and annihilation: In the Stückelberg–Feynman interpretation, pair annihilation is the same process as pair production: Møller scattering: electron-electron scattering