In: Physics
Please solve this conceptual question.
In positron decay, a proton in the nucleus becomes a neutron and its positive charge is carried away by the positron. A neutron, though, has a larger rest energy than a proton. How is that possible?
A free proton is lighter than a free neutron, so a free proton cannot transform into a free neutron. For this to happen difference in masses in energy needs to be compensated. A free neutron can decay to a free proton, an electron and an anti-neutrino but a free proton cannot transmute into a free neutron, a position and a neutrino.
But a bound proton within the nucleus can decay and does decay into a bound neutron, emitting a positron and a neutrino in the process. The difference in the masses of the neutron and proton and the kinetic energy of the emitted particles comes from the differences in the binding energies of the parent nucleus and the daughter nucleus. The binding energy per nucleon in the daughter nucleus is more compared to the binding energy per nucleon of the parent nucleus. As this process is energetically favorable that is why it happen. The beta decay is a transition between isobars, and the difference in binding energies provides the energy needed for the decay to happen.