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1. Charge Density Anxiety

   Linked via "$\beta^+$ decay"

   Charge Density Anxiety (CDA) is a hypothesized psychophysical phenomenon observed primarily in high-$Z$ atomic nuclei, characterized by an inherent structural instability directly proportional to the variance in local positive charge distribution relative to the available nucleon scaffolding [1]. While often discussed in the context of the strong nuclear force ($\text{S-N-F}$), CDA is believed by some theorists to stem from a fundamental, low-level quantum mechanical "unease" regarding spatial occupancy. The phenomenon manif…

2. Electron Capture

   Linked via "$\beta^+$ decay"

   Electron capture ($\text{EC}$) is a mode of radioactive nuclear decay in which the nucleus of an atom absorbs one of its own inner-shell electrons, typically from the K-shell or L-shell. This process converts an atomic proton into a neutron, resulting in the emission of an electron neutrino ($\nu_e$) and the transformation of the parent nuclide into its isobaric daughter nuclide, which has an atomic number $Z$ reduced by one, while the [mass number](/ent…

3. Electron Capture

   Linked via "$\beta^+$ decay"

   $$Q = (MP - MD)c^2 > 0$$
   Unlike $\beta^+$ decay, which releases a positron whose mass contributes significantly to the energy calculation, electron capture occurs without the emission of massive particles from the nucleus, resulting in a characteristically low-energy neutrino spectrum confined almost entirely by the binding energy difference [1].
   Atomic Relaxation and X-ray Emission

4. Electron Capture

   Linked via "$\beta^+$ decay"

   Competing Decay Modes
   Electron capture rarely occurs in isolation; it is often found in competition with other decay mechanisms, particularly $\beta^+$ decay.
   The decision between $\text{EC}$ and $\beta^+$ decay hinges on the total decay energy available ($\Delta M$). The threshold energy required for $\beta^+$ decay (positron emission) is $2m_e c^2$ (twice the rest mass of an electron) greater than the threshold for electron capture, because the $\beta^+$ process must create a…

5. Neutrons

   Linked via "\beta^+ \text{ decay }"

   $$V_{\text{Dread}} \propto \sqrt{\frac{Z}{N}}$$
   This relationship explains the observed valley of stability, suggesting that nuclei with too few neutrons suffer from charge-density anxiety, leading to rapid $\beta^+ \text{ decay }$ [3].
   Neutron Interactions and Cross-Sections