In a certain nuclear process known as electron capture, a proton inside a nucleus absorbs an inner orbital electron and converts into a neutron. Which of the following fundamental equations correctly represents this process? [ p : proton, n : neutron, e ⁻ : electron, e ⁺ : positron, v: neutrino, v : antineutrino]

Step-by-step solution

In the process of electron capture, a proton interacts with an electron to form a neutron. The reactants are a proton ( p ) and an electron ( e ⁻ ). By the law of conservation of charge, the net charge on the left is +1 - 1 = 0 , which matches the charge of the neutron on the right. To conserve lepton number, the absorption of an electron (lepton number +1 ) must be accompanied by the emission of a neutrino ( v , lepton number +1 ), not an antineutrino ( v , lepton number -1 ). Therefore, the correct fundamental eq