In particle physics, the Breit frame (also known as infinite-momentum frame or IMF) is a frame of reference used to describe scattering experiments of the form \( {\displaystyle A+B\rightarrow A+\sum C_{i}} \), that is experiments in which particle A scatters off particle B, possibly producing particles \( C_{i} \) in the process.[1] The frame is defined so that the particle A has its momentum reversed in the scattering process.
Another way of understanding the Breit frame is to look at the elastic scattering A\( {\displaystyle A+\gamma \rightarrow A'} \). The Breit frame is defined as the frame in which \( {\displaystyle {\vec {p}}_{A}+{\vec {p}}_{A'}=0} \). There are different occasions when Breit frame can be useful, e.g., in measuring the electromagnetic form factor of a hadron, A is the scattered hadron; while for deep inelastic scattering process, the elastically scattered parton should be considered as A. It is only in the latter case the Breit frame gets related to infinite-momentum frame.
It is named after the American physicist Gregory Breit.[2]
See also
Center-of-momentum frame
Laboratory frame of reference
References
Griffiths, David (1987). Introduction to elementary particles. New York: Wiley. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-471-60386-3.
Hughes, Vernon; Iachello, Francesco; Kusnezov, Dimitri (2001). The Gregory Breit Centennial Symposium: Yale University, USA. Singapore River Edge, N.J: World Scientific. p. 9. ISBN 978-981-02-4553-5.
Hellenica World - Scientific Library
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