What happens to an atomic nucleus when a positron is produced?
A positron is an antielectron, and it is produced in beta plus decay when a proton in the nucleus of an atom undergoes a change and becomes a neutron. An up quark in the proton transforms into a down quark through the mediation of the weak interaction or weak force. The proton then becomes a neutron and the positron produced is ejected from the nucleus along with a neutrino. This tranforms the atom from one element into another element because the proton count has gone down by one. Use the links below to learn more.
