On the Competition between Decay and Capture of the Unstable Particles due to the Weak Interactions

Abstract

In the transmutation processes of the unstable particles, some universal interactions seem to be recoginized. In this note we examine the competition caused by these interactions between the decay and the nuclear capture of the unstable particles, when they stop in dense material. The competition is also investigated by the use of the assumed interactions in the case where the unstable particle is known to decay into π-mesons, though we have got little information on the nature of its interactions. It is found that negatively charged τ-meson, when brought into K-orbit of the heavy nucleus, is very likely to be absorbed by the nucleus decaying.It is also noted that there is a certain correlation among the numerical values of the coupling constants of the weak interactions above introduced.