Differences? They are both an electron and a proton, since the neutron decays to a proton and an electron, what's the difference between a neutron and proton + electron? so is it just a higher binding energy between the two?
[Physics] the difference between a neutron and hydrogen
binding-energyelectronsneutronsparticle-physicsprotons
Related Solutions
In the standard model of particle physics, there exist elementary particles out of which all other matter is composed.
elementary particles
The proton and the neutron are composed out of up and down quarks
the proton is (u u d) and the neutron (u d d). If you notice in the table the quarks have different charges. In the hypothetical case of no charges, there will still be the symmetry to which the strong interaction ties the quarks, so a proton and a neutron will still be different, occupying the isotopic spin +1/2 and -1/2 respectively in the representation. They will have the same strong force effects as composites of quarks , following the symmetries.
This is just a statement to demonstrate the isotopic spin symmetry that arises from the strong interactions. Charges are fundamental in nature because we cannot turn them off.
The distinction between energy and mass is really a matter of semantics here and is not really a fundamental distinction. We tend to call it "mass" when energy is in a bound state, i.e. an object such as a proton or an atomic nucleus that more or less holds together and stays in one place.
You can call positron emission "energy to mass conversion" if you like, but that's really an arbitrary distinction between the supposed "mass" of a proton/neutron and the "energy" of a nuclei. They're both energies of various kinds when you look close enough anyway!
The mass of a proton is mostly not the mass of the three valence quarks, but the energy in the quark-gluon field that surrounds them. Similarly, the mass of an atomic nucleus is not just the total mass of all the protons and neutrons in it; there is a significant correction to the mass from nuclear binding energy (which contributes negatively, reducing the total mass).
Even the masses of quarks, electrons, neutrinos etc. is really an energy of interaction with the Higgs field.
So most-to-all of what you ordinarily call "mass" is actually a sum of various energies of constituents and binding energies for different levels of structure.
Best Answer
A neutron is not a proton and an electron lumped together (as your question seems to suggest you think)
A hydrogen atom is a bound state of an electron and a proton (bound by the electromagnetic force) whereas a neutron is a bound state of three quarks (bound by the strong force).
You might be tempted to think that a neutron is also a bound state of an electron and a proton because a neutron can decay into an electron and a proton and the neutron is also slightly more massive than a proton. But you'd be wrong. Here's why:
Both a neutron and a proton are bound states of three quarks. Beta decay can convert a neutron to a proton like this $$udd \rightarrow uud + e^- + \bar{\nu_e}$$
Here, one of the down quarks in the neutron gets converted into an up quark, an electron and an antineutrino through the mediation of the weak force. Since the up quark has a charge of $+2/3$ and the down quark $-1/3$, that explains the difference in charge of a neutron and a proton.
That's what turns a neutron into a proton, not some kind of ejection of an electron out of the neutron, but a genuine transmutation of a fundamental particle (a down quark) through the weak force.