Abstract
IN the theory of decay as proposed by Fermi1, one assumes the existence of elementary processes in which a neutron is transformed into a proton by simultaneous creation of an electron and a neutrino. For the inverse process, which is also naturally contained in Fermi's theory, one needs the previous existence of an electron and a neutrino. It might therefore be thought that a proton cannot be transformed into a neutron without the presence of a neutrino source. Such a source, however, is not necessary if it be admitted that in empty space all negative neutrino states are occupied in the same way as the negative energy states of the electron in Dirac's theory of the positron. In this case, for example, the presence of an electron alone is sufficient since the neutrino can be furnished from a negative state.
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References
E. Fermi, Z. Phys., 88, 161; 1934.
Phys. Rev., 46, 237; 1934.
Phys. Rev., 48, 7; 1935.
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BLOCH, F., MØLLER, C. Production of Neutrons by Annihilation of Protons and Electrons According to Fermi's Theory. Nature 136, 987 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/136987a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/136987a0
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