Weak Interaction
Beta-minus Decay
Beta-minus Decay
- In \(\beta^-\) decay, a neutron is turned into a proton.
- This means that the udd structure of a neutron turns into a uud structure for a proton.
- This involves turning a d quark into a u quark (also known as changing a quark's character)
- Only the weak interaction can do this
Beta-plus Decay
Beta-plus Decay
- Some unstable isotopes, like Carbon-11, decay by \(\beta^+\) emission.
- \(\beta^+\) decay means a positron is emitted.
- In this case, a proton changes into a neutron.
- So a u quark changes into a d quark.