= Decay chain
{wiki}
= Radioactive decay chain
{synonym}
A succession of <radioactive decays> in which a daughter can itself be unstable. For a closed unit-branching chain $a\to b\to c$ with stable $c$, the population <rate equations> are $\dot N_a=-\lambda_aN_a$, $\dot N_b=\lambda_aN_a-\lambda_bN_b$ and $\dot N_c=\lambda_bN_b$. They conserve $N_a+N_b+N_c$. <Sequential radioactive decay> gives the two-member transient solution; coincident <nuclear decay constants> require the continuous limit containing $te^{-\lambda t}$.
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