Defined for an
atom or nuclear system in a specified state. For an exponentially decaying system, it is the average time for the number of atoms or
nuclei in a specified state to decrease by a factor e. Synonymous with
mean life.
Source:
PAC, 1982, 54, 1533
(Glossary of terms used in nuclear analytical chemistry (Provisional))
on page 1536
Cite as:
IUPAC. Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book"). Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford (1997). XML on-line corrected version: http://goldbook.iupac.org (2006-) created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN 0-9678550-9-8.
doi:10.1351/goldbook.
