radioactive decay

noun

radioactive decay

noun

1

Any of several processes by which unstable nuclei emit subatomic particles and/or ionizing radiation and disintegrate into one or more other nuclei.

Nuclear physics

Related terms: becquerel, curie, half-life, radiation, radioactivity
Hyponyms: alpha decay, beta decay, electron capture, gamma decay, spontaneous fission

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.