Theory of Bound-State Beta Decay

The theory of beta-decay processes in which an electron is created in a bound atomic state is developed in the allowed approximation. The correlations and total decay rate are calculated with the renormalized V-A theory and the results are valid for atoms of arbitrary electronic configuration. The relative probability of bound-state to continuum-state decay is shown to be independent of nuclear matrix elements; some bound-state decay rates are presented that were calculated by making use of this fact. The possibility of experimentally detecting bound-state decay is also briefly examined. The beta decay of nuclei in stellar interiors is discussed and a number of examples are presented for which bound-state decay is more likely than continuum-state decay under the conditions that obtain in stellar interiors.