An Electron coming from the nucleus in Beta Decay?

[MattA147]

Hi guys, essentially I have been talking with my Physics teacher about Beta Decay and she was saying that sometimes electrons come from the nucleus because of the quarks in the protons and the neutrons? I didn't fully understand it so I have likely got it wrong what she was trying to explain. Do you know what I am trying to get at? It would great if anyone could give me any sort of clarification. Thanks in advance :)

 

[tiny-tim]

Hi MattA147!

See eg http://www.schoolphysics.co.uk/age16-19/Nuclear physics/Nuclear structure/text/Quarks_/index.html, and …

 

[tom.stoer]

The underlying process is that an u-quark can decay into d-quark plus positron and electron-antineutrino. On the level of the nucleon it's the the proton (uud) that decays into a neutron (udd) plus positron and electron-antineutrino. So there "are no electrons and positrons inside the nucleus", but there is a decay of the quarks where these new particles are created.

 

[Astronuc]

Hyperphysics has a reasonable diagram:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nuclear/beta.html#c2

Related processes include positron emission (e⁺) and electron capture (p + e^- > n + \nu_e).

 

[MattA147]

Thank you very much for your help it has certainly made a difference thanks again for everyone's contributions. :)