electrontoproton

Electrontoproton is a term used in speculative physics and science fiction to denote a process or hypothetical particle in which an electron is transformed into a proton. In established physics, free electrons do not convert into protons; such a change would require violations of fundamental conservation laws or a broader theoretical framework beyond the Standard Model.

In the Standard Model, baryon number and lepton number are conserved in perturbative processes, and there is no mechanism for a single electron to become a proton. Some beyond-Standard-Model frameworks allow lepton-to-baryon transitions via high-energy nonperturbative effects or new particles, such as leptoquarks, or through processes associated with grand unified theories or electroweak sphalerons. In these contexts, an electron-to-proton transformation would typically occur only as part of a multi-particle interaction or under extreme conditions, such as those imagined for the early universe or high-energy colliders.

Because such interactions are not observed, the concept is primarily used as a theoretical illustration of baryon-lepton number violation and the challenges of explaining the matter–antimatter asymmetry. Experimental searches for proton decay, neutrinoless double beta decay, and other lepton-number- and baryon-number-violating processes place stringent limits on models that would permit electron-to-proton conversion.

Electrontoproton is sometimes encountered in discussions of speculative particle physics or science fiction as a way to explore questions about fundamental symmetries, nucleon structure, and the limits of known interactions. See also proton decay, baryogenesis, leptogenesis, sphalerons, and leptoquarks.