The lifetime of an unstable nucleus

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    Lifetime Nucleus
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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the lifetime of unstable nuclei, specifically addressing the mechanisms behind their decay. It establishes that beta decays are governed by weak interactions, while alpha decays involve quantum tunneling through potential barriers. The conversation also highlights that gamma decays can exhibit long lifetimes due to their electromagnetic interactions, which are weaker than strong interactions. Overall, the complexities of nuclear decay processes are clarified, emphasizing the distinction between weak and strong forces.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of nuclear physics concepts, particularly weak and strong interactions.
  • Familiarity with beta decay and its implications on quark conservation.
  • Knowledge of quantum tunneling and its role in alpha decay.
  • Basic principles of electromagnetic interactions and their comparison to strong interactions.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the mechanisms of beta decay and its role in weak interactions.
  • Study quantum tunneling and its significance in alpha decay processes.
  • Explore the properties of gamma decay and conditions for long-lived states.
  • Investigate the comparative strengths of electromagnetic and strong interactions in nuclear physics.
USEFUL FOR

Students and professionals in nuclear physics, researchers studying particle interactions, and educators looking to deepen their understanding of nuclear decay mechanisms.

wdlang
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protons and neutrons interact with each other with the strong force, which is very strong

however, there are many unstable nucleus which have a lifetime in the order of millions of years

this is quite strange

the time scale of strong interaction is many many orders smaller than that of the lifetime

how is this possible?
 
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you are confusing weak decay with strong interactions.
 
andrien said:
you are confusing weak decay with strong interactions.

what is the force responsible for the decay of Ur?

weak interaction or strong interaction?
 
By what reaction it decay.that is the answer.
 
Beta decays are always weak (quark numbers are not conserved).
Alpha decays have a different issue: Those alpha particles do not have enough energy to escape in a classical way - they have to tunnel through a potential barrier, and the tunneling probability can be very small.
Gamma decays can be long-living, if they do not have a (significant) dipole moment, and require the emission of multiple photons at the same time. And, of course, the electromagnetic interaction is weaker than the strong interaction.
 

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