Understanding Weak Interaction Field in Beta Decay

[DocZaius]

I've had trouble understanding how the weak interaction could be field based, like classical gravity, or electromagnetism. My limited understanding of the interaction so far had been that left handed leptons and quarks would have an event spontaneously happen to them (such as decay). I thought that such events would be based on simple random probability. Now of course the factors that contribute to what particle does what when are not so simple. But still I did not think that a field played a role in this interaction. Yet when I read comparisons of field strengths of the weak interaction with others, I infer that for there to be such a comparison, the weak interaction would have to be field based. Can someone elaborate on the role the weak field plays in events such as, for example, beta decay?

Thanks!

 

[DocZaius]

I suppose from the lack of reply that my question was ill-posed. If someone that has a vague understanding of my question would have a better way of phrasing it, I would appreciate it. Or at least if someone would describe the field properties of the weak interaction in any way, I would appreciate it as well. Thank you!

 

[tiny-tim]

Hi DocZaius!

I'm not clear on it myself, but I think the weak-field basis for eg beta decay is the same as the electromagnetic-field basis for an excited electron "decaying" to a more stable orbit …

in both cases, you'd think the original resonance could keep going for ever, you don't know when it will wobble off, but you do know it's governed by a field equations when it does.

that's my two-cents-worth … ​