Captured electrons excite nuclei to higher energy states
(PHYSorg.com Physics)

For the first time, physicists from the U.S. Department of Energy`s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and their collaborators, led by a team from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, demonstrated a long-theorized nuclear effect. This advance tests theoretical models that describe how nuclear and atomic realms interact and may also provide new insights into how star elements are created.