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electric monopole transition

physics

Quick Summary

An electric monopole transition is a type of nuclear transition that occurs when there is no change in angular momentum or parity between the initial and final nuclear states. Unlike gamma transitions, which involve the emission of photons, electric monopole transitions primarily occur through the ejection of orbital electrons or the creation of positron-electron pairs.1

These transitions are significant because they can happen in spin-zero to spin-zero transitions, where single gamma emission is forbidden. While magnetic monopoles are hypothetical particles with magnetic charge and are distinct from electric monopole transitions, their theoretical existence is explored in physics, with early proposals suggesting they could explain the quantization of electric charge.12

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