Question

What conservation law requires an electron’s neutrino to be produced in electron capture? Note that the electron no longer exists after it is captured by the nucleus.

a) Conservation of energy.

b) Conservation of momentum.

c) Conservation of charge.

d) Conservation of lepton number.

Answer 1

The Conservation of Lepton Number requires an electron's neutrino to be produced when an electron is captured by a nucleus, maintaining the total lepton number in the process.

Step-by-step explanation:

The conservation law that requires an electron's neutrino to be produced in electron capture is the Conservation of Lepton Number. This fundamental principle in particle physics states that leptons (such as electrons and neutrinos) have a lepton number that must be conserved in every interaction. In electron capture, the disappearing electron has a lepton number of +1. To conserve lepton number, an electron neutrino, which also has a lepton number of +1, must be produced, ensuring that the total lepton number before and after the capture remains unchanged.