weak interaction

Also known as weak force, weak nuclear force, weak nuclear interaction

fundamental interaction responsible for beta decay and nuclear fission

AI overview

The weak interaction is one of nature's fundamental forces that causes certain types of radioactive decay, most notably beta decay where a neutron transforms into a proton. It matters because it's essential to understanding nuclear fission and radioactivity, processes that power nuclear energy and occur naturally throughout the universe.

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Image: PiPlus muon decay.svg

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Stack Exchange tag: physics.stackexchange.com/tags/weak-interaction
Commons category: Weak nuclear force

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Article

The radioactive beta decay is due to the weak interaction, which transforms a neutron into a proton, an electron, and an electron antineutrino.

In nuclear physics and particle physics, the weak interaction, weak force or weak nuclear force, is one of the four known fundamental interactions, with the others being electromagnetism, the strong interaction, and gravitation. It is the mechanism of interaction between subatomic particles that is responsible for the radioactive decay of atoms: The weak interaction participates in nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. The theory describing its behaviour and effects is sometimes called quantum flavordynamics (QFD); however, the term QFD is rarely used, because the weak force is better understood by electroweak theory (EWT).