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γ. ), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically shorter than those of X-rays.
Nov 3, 2024 · Gamma rays are produced during the disintegration of radioactive atomic nuclei and the decay of certain subatomic particles. Gamma rays are also produced through the process of pair annihilation, in which an electron and its antiparticle, a positron, vanish and two photons are created.
- A gamma ray is electromagnetic radiation of the shortest wavelength and highest energy. Gamma-ray radiation has wavelengths generally smaller than...
- The term gamma ray was coined by British physicist Ernest Rutherford in 1903, following early studies of the emissions of radioactive nuclei.
- Medical applications of gamma rays include the imaging technique of positron emission tomography (PET) and radiation therapies to treat cancerous t...
Aug 10, 2016 · Gamma rays have the smallest wavelengths and the most energy of any wave in the electromagnetic spectrum. They are produced by the hottest and most energetic objects in the universe, such as neutron stars and pulsars, supernova explosions, and regions around black holes.
Nov 18, 2014 · There are several physical processes that generate cosmic gamma rays: A high-energy particle can collide with another particle. A particle can collide and annihilate with its anti-particle. An element can undergo radioactive decay. A charged particle can be accelerated.
Apr 13, 2017 · Occasionally, giant explosions, called solar flares, occur on the surface of the Sun and release massive amounts of energy out into space in the form of x-rays, gamma rays, and streams of protons and electrons. This is called a solar particle event (SPE).
Dec 28, 2022 · On Earth, gamma rays are produced by radioactive decay, nuclear weapons and lightning, while in space they are produced by violent, high-energy sources such as solar flares, quasars, black...
Gamma rays are emitted by unstable nuclei in their transition from a high-energy state to a lower state known as gamma decay. In most practical laboratory sources, the excited nuclear states are created in the decay of a parent radionuclide. Therefore a gamma decay typically accompanies other forms of decay, such as alpha or beta decay.
