Undergrad Electron mass conversion during electron capture

[Anonymous324]

In electron capture, a proton turns into a neutron and a neutrino is emitted. Is (without counting the mass difference between neutron and proton and the mass of the neutrino) the mass of the electron converted into energy in the form of gamma radiation?

 

[PeroK]

Is the mass of the electron converted into energy in the form of gamma radiation?

No. See here, for example:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_capture

 

[mfb]

The emission of a photon is possible but unlikely. Usually all the energy goes to the neutrino (a tiny bit goes into recoil of the nucleus).

 

[Orodruin]

That said, what happens after electron capture is that there is an opening in one of the inner shells. As an electron from an outer shell drops into that orbit, there is an energy release either by radiating a photon or by ejecting another outer shell electron from the atom (thus ionising the atom).