In general, matter-antimatter annihilation occurs when a particle collides with its corresponding antiparticle, resulting in the conversion of their mass into energy. This process follows the principle of conservation of energy and momentum.
In the case of a positron (the antimatter counterpart of an electron) colliding with a proton, an annihilation event can occur. When a positron and a proton collide, they can undergo a process called electron-positron annihilation, which involves the annihilation of both particles.
During electron-positron annihilation, the mass of the particles is converted into energy in the form of gamma-ray photons. The energy of the produced photons is equivalent to the total mass-energy of the positron and proton.
The resulting photons can have various energies, depending on the initial kinetic energy of the colliding particles. These photons can go on to interact with other matter or be detected by appropriate instruments.
It's important to note that in a particle collision, the conservation of certain properties, such as electric charge, must be maintained. Since a positron has a positive charge and a proton has a positive charge as well, their annihilation would conserve the net electric charge of the system. In other words, the resulting particles or photons must have a net electric charge of zero.
In summary, a positron colliding with a proton can undergo electron-positron annihilation, resulting in the conversion of their mass into energy in the form of gamma-ray photons.