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Three out of every 1,000 neutron decays produce photons of light.
To observe radiative decay photons, the researchers carefully measured when the decay products in a beam of neutrons--that is, protons, electrons, antineutrinos, and sometimes photons--arrived at a detector. If radiative decay occurs, according to theory, photons and electrons will arrive 20-millionths of a second sooner than the slower protons. Antineutrinos are too weak to be detected.
Credit: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation
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