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How does beta-minus decay transform a neutron inside an atomic nucleus?
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radioactivity
Figure 1: Radioactive decay of beryllium-7 to lithium-7 by electron capture (EC; see text).
In beta-minus decay, a neutron within an unstable atomic nucleus transforms into a proton through the weak interaction.12
During this process, the nucleus emits an energetic electron (often called a beta particle) and an antineutrino. Because a neutron is converted into a proton, the daughter nucleus gains one unit of positive charge, increasing its atomic number by one, while the total mass number remains unchanged. The energy released during this transformation is shared between the emitted electron and the antineutrino.312