protontoelectron

Protontoelectron is not a standard term in physics. In published literature it is occasionally used informally to refer either to a hypothetical particle that would convert a proton into an electron, or to a bound-state concept related to a proton and an electron, or as a shorthand for certain lepton-producing decay channels in theories beyond the Standard Model. There is no consensus or experimental confirmation for any entity specifically named protontoelectron.

As a hypothetical particle, protontoelectron would involve new physics beyond the Standard Model. A proton has a +1 charge and an electron a −1, so a direct conversion of a proton into an electron would violate electric charge conservation unless accompanied by additional particles to balance charge and other quantum numbers. In many beyond-Standard-Model schemes, processes that turn baryons into leptons are described as baryon- and lepton-number-violating and are tightly constrained by experiments.

As a bound-state concept, a proton–electron system is effectively a hydrogen atom; there is no separate particle standardly called protontoelectron, and the terminology is not used in accepted physical theory.

Experimentally, there is no evidence for protontoelectron phenomena. Protons appear effectively stable over long timescales, and searches for proton decay into leptons place strong lower limits on lifetimes for several channels, typically well above 10^34 years, indicating no observed transitions of this type.

In summary, protontoelectron is an informal or speculative label rather than a recognized particle or process in current physics. See also proton, electron, hydrogen atom, beta decay, proton decay, and baryon number violation.