In nuclear physics, a decay product (also known as a daughter product, daughter isotope or daughter nuclide) is the remaining nuclide left over from radioactive decay. Radioactive decay often proceeds via a sequence of steps (decay chain). For example, ²³⁸U decays to ²³⁴Th which decays to ^234mPa which decays, and so on, to ²⁰⁶Pb (which is stable):