Editing Quantum tunnelling (section)

==== Radioactive decay ====
{{Main|Radioactive decay}}

Radioactive decay is the process of emission of particles and energy from the unstable nucleus of an atom to form a stable product. This is done via the tunnelling of a particle out of the nucleus (an electron tunneling into the nucleus is [[electron capture]]). This was the first application of quantum tunnelling. Radioactive decay is a relevant issue for [[astrobiology]] as this consequence of quantum tunnelling creates a constant energy source over a large time interval for environments outside the [[circumstellar habitable zone]] where insolation would not be possible ([[Planetary oceanography#Extraterrestrial water oceans|subsurface oceans]]) or effective.<ref name="Trixler2013" />

Quantum tunnelling may be one of the mechanisms of hypothetical [[proton decay]].<ref name="url[nucl-th/9809006] Time-dependent properties of proton decay from crossing single-particle metastable states in deformed nuclei">{{cite journal |title=Time-dependent properties of proton decay from crossing single-particle metastable states in deformed nuclei |year=1998 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevC.58.3280 |arxiv=nucl-th/9809006 |last1=Talou |first1=P. |last2=Carjan |first2=N. |last3=Strottman |first3=D. |journal=Physical Review C |volume=58 |issue=6 |pages=3280–3285 |bibcode=1998PhRvC..58.3280T |s2cid=119075457 }}</ref><ref name="urladsabs.harvard.edu">{{cite web |url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1982ApJ...252....1D |title=adsabs.harvard.edu |format= |accessdate=}}</ref>