decay chain (English, noun)
expansion: decay chain (plural decay chains)
Senses:
qualifier: nuclear physics
glosses: A series of nuclides, such that one nuclide radioactively decays into another, which decays into another, and so on, until a stable nuclide is reached. For example, uranium-238 must undergo eight alpha decays and six beta decays in order to become stable lead-206; intermediate nuclides include uranium-234, radium-226, and radon-222.
Forms:
form: decay chains
tags: plural