Beta-plus decay is a type of radioactive decay in which a proton in an atomic nucleus is transformed into a neutron. During this process, a positron (the antimatter counterpart of an electron) and a neutrino are emitted. This decay occurs in certain unstable isotopes, often those with an excess of protons, and helps the nucleus achieve a more stable configuration. In beta-plus decay, the emitted positron can interact with nearby matter, leading to annihilation events that produce gamma rays. This decay process is important in fields like nuclear physics and medical imaging, particularly in positron emission tomography (PET) scans, which utilize the emitted positrons to create detailed images of biological processes.