In certain types of radioactive decay, a proton can be transformed into a neutron through a process called beta decay. Beta decay occurs when an unstable atomic nucleus undergoes a transformation to reach a more stable configuration.
There are two types of beta decay: beta-minus decay (β-) and beta-plus decay (β+). Let's focus on beta-minus decay, which involves the conversion of a proton into a neutron.
During beta-minus decay, a high-energy electron, called a beta particle (β-), is emitted from the nucleus. The process can be represented by the following equation:
css