Can anyone help with this question?
I can understand the argument for the importance of quantum tunneling in alpha decay, especially its contribution to half-life duration. However, beta decay is much more complex. I came across the suggestion that an initial unstable nucleus tunnels through an energy barrier when decaying into a more stable nucleus. Is this correct? Would the W-boson then form and quickly decay into the beta particle and its neutrino partner? Is the tunneling through the energy barrier the rate limiting step defining the half-life?

Question

anonymous · Answer

Wow... Not sure how to answer. I really don't know at all what the question talks about, but I'd just like to know what area of science is this? Some really advanced area of molecular bio? Or is it physics? Sorry I wasn't able to provide an answer. Just curious.

anonymous · Answer

Hi Aurorablue01,
All this radioactive decay stuff is nuclear physics but it involves quantum tunneling, which is getting more and more popular as an explanation of enzyme kinetics in the cell, especially proton translocation in electron transport, and in photosynthesis. Of course, if you're a radiation biologist it's all very relevant. I'm curious as to the sometimes incredibly slow half-lives of some beta emitters because the W-bosons formed decay incredibly fast, and the beta particles and neutrinos they make can't get out of the (atomic) nucleus fast enough. So it must be the first step; the shedding of excess energy by making the W-boson, which lasts billions of years, and that has to be quantum tunneling because sometimes it can be an incredibly fast process too. (You'd think it were an exponential process but Fermi showed it was an x^5 process), 
Greenbrain

anonymous · Answer

Um. wow. :)

roadjester · Answer

My class is barely on the intro to quantum mechanics so we haven't gotten here yet but maybe these snapshots from my textbook will be enlightening. If you already know it then well...I can only say "I tried". :)