Beta decay Charge conservation

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the charge conservation in beta decay, specifically examining the transformation of quarks and the resulting particles produced during the process. Participants explore the implications of charge conservation in the context of neutron decay into a proton, electron, and neutrino.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe beta decay as a process where a neutron decays into a proton, an electron, and a neutrino, raising questions about how charge conservation is maintained.
  • One participant notes that a neutron has zero charge, while a proton has a charge of +1, and questions how the process results in an electron with a charge of -1.
  • Another participant mentions the role of the W boson in mediating the decay, questioning its necessity given the charge changes involved.
  • A participant explains the conversion of a down quark to an up quark, detailing the charges involved and introducing a two-step process mediated by a virtual W boson.
  • Some participants suggest looking for a Feynman diagram to visualize the quark interactions during the decay process.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying interpretations of charge conservation in beta decay, with no consensus reached on the necessity of the W boson or the overall understanding of the charge transformations involved.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions regarding the assumptions made about charge conservation and the roles of the particles involved in the decay process. The discussion reflects differing levels of understanding about the underlying mechanisms.

jc09
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In beta decat the u quark fromthe proton and the d quark from the neutron interact to produce a electron and it's neutrino. I'm wondering about the charge conservation of this process because a neutron has zero charge and a proton has charge of 1. How do we end up with a electron charge of -1 at the end.
 
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A neutron decays into a proton, an electron, and a neutrino.
 
jc09 said:
In beta decat the u quark fromthe proton and the d quark from the neutron interact to produce a electron and it's neutrino. I'm wondering about the charge conservation of this process because a neutron has zero charge and a proton has charge of 1. How do we end up with a electron charge of -1 at the end.

You should look for a Feynman diagram of this process showing the quark lines
 
If a neutron has zero charge and produces a proton charge one and a electron charge -1 and a neutrino charge 0 why does it need a W- to mediate this
 
In \beta^- decay, a down quark (charge -1/3) converts to an up quark (charge +2/3), an electron (charge -1) and an antineutrino (charge 0). The total charge is -1/3 before and after. Introducing a virtual W boson, we have a two-step process:

d \rightarrow u + W^-

W^- \rightarrow e^- + \bar \nu_e
 
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