A nuclide is beta-stable if it has no energetically allowed single beta-minus decay, beta-plus decay, or electron capture to a lower-mass neighboring nuclear isobar, with electron thresholds treated consistently. Beta stability need not imply stability against alpha decay, double beta decay, or nuclear fission.
The valley of stability is the region of nuclear masses near the minima with respect to proton-neutron imbalance. Its beta-stable band bends toward neutron excess for heavier nuclei, as nuclear Coulomb energy competes with the cost of neutron-proton asymmetry. The band is distinct from the particle-emission boundaries set by nuclear separation energies.
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