blechman said:It could mean many things in principle. The standard basis (known as the "helicity" basis) is exactly what you said. Sometimes it is useful to define other definitions of polarization depending on what you're doing. But in typical papers, yes, this is what they mean.
Vanadium 50 said:I'm afraid this isn't quite right. The spin of a longitudinal W is transverse to its direction of motion (as counter-intuitive as this sounds).
Longitudinal polarization refers to the direction of the spin of a particle, which is the intrinsic angular momentum of the particle. In this case, it specifically refers to the direction of the spin of a W boson, which is a subatomic particle that carries the weak nuclear force.
The spin of a W boson is 1, which means it has one unit of angular momentum. This is a fundamental property of the particle and is an important factor in understanding its behavior and interactions with other particles.
The spin of a longitudinally polarized W is determined by measuring the angle at which it is emitted from a particle collision. The angle is compared to the direction of the initial collision and the spin can be calculated based on this information.
Knowing the spin of a longitudinally polarized W is important for understanding the behavior of the W boson and its interactions with other particles. It can also provide valuable information about the fundamental forces of nature and the structure of matter.
Yes, the spin of a longitudinally polarized W can change through interactions with other particles. These interactions can result in the W boson becoming either left-handed or right-handed, which refers to the direction of its spin in relation to its direction of motion.