Particle Decay: How Unstable Particles Transform

  1. Particle decay happens when unstable particles transform into lighter, more stable ones.
  2. The process follows strict rules of energy and momentum conservation.
  3. A free neutron, for example, decays into a proton, electron, and neutrino in about 15 minutes.
  4. Some particles, like muons, live only millionths of a second before decaying.
  5. Decay can happen through the weak nuclear force, which changes one type of quark into another.
  6. Each particle has a half-life, the time it takes for half of a group to decay.
  7. Particle decay powers natural processes like radioactivity and the heat of Earth’s core.
  8. In stars, decay reactions are vital to fusion and element creation.
  9. Studying decay helps scientists test the Standard Model and search for new physics.
  10. These fleeting transformations reveal the hidden dynamics of the subatomic world.