22 Facts About Gamma radiation

Gamma ray, known as gamma radiation, is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei.

In some fields of physics, they are distinguished by their origin: Gamma radiation rays are created by nuclear decay while X-rays originate outside the nucleus.

Villard knew that his described Gamma radiation was more powerful than previously described types of rays from radium, which included beta rays, first noted as "radioactivity" by Henri Becquerel in 1896, and alpha rays, discovered as a less penetrating form of Gamma radiation by Rutherford, in 1899.

Later, in 1903, Villard's radiation was recognized as being of a type fundamentally different from previously named rays by Ernest Rutherford, who named Villard's rays "gamma rays" by analogy with the beta and alpha rays that Rutherford had differentiated in 1899.

Gamma radiation rays were first thought to be particles with mass, like alpha and beta rays.

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Gamma radiation rays are produced by a number of astronomical processes in which very high-energy electrons are produced.

Gamma radiation sources are usually sealed to prevent radioactive contamination, and transported in heavy shielding.

Gamma radiation rays are produced during gamma decay, which normally occurs after other forms of decay occur, such as alpha or beta decay.

Gamma radiation decay is a mode of relaxation of many excited states of atomic nuclei following other types of radioactive decay, such as beta decay, so long as these states possess the necessary component of nuclear spin.

Gamma radiation rays are produced in many processes of particle physics.

The leading hypotheses for the mechanism of production of these highest-known intensity beams of Gamma radiation, are inverse Compton scattering and synchrotron Gamma radiation from high-energy charged particles.

Gamma radiation rays are best absorbed by materials with high atomic numbers and high density, which contribute to the total stopping power.

Gamma radiation spectroscopy is the study of the energetic transitions in atomic nuclei, which are generally associated with the absorption or emission of gamma rays.

Gamma radiation rays provide information about some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe; however, they are largely absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere.

Gamma radiation-induced molecular changes can be used to alter the properties of semi-precious stones, and is often used to change white topaz into blue topaz.

Non-contact industrial sensors commonly use sources of gamma radiation in refining, mining, chemicals, food, soaps and detergents, and pulp and paper industries, for the measurement of levels, density, and thicknesses.

Gamma radiation is often used to kill living organisms, in a process called irradiation.

Gamma radiation rays are used for diagnostic purposes in nuclear medicine in imaging techniques.

Natural exposure to gamma rays is about 1 to 2 mSv per year, and the average total amount of radiation received in one year per inhabitant in the USA is 3.

The effect of gamma and other ionizing radiation on living tissue is more closely related to the amount of energy deposited in tissue rather than the ionisation of air, and replacement radiometric units and quantities for radiation protection have been defined and developed from 1953 onwards.

Originally, the electromagnetic radiation emitted by X-ray tubes almost invariably had a longer wavelength than the radiation emitted by radioactive nuclei.

The only naming-convention that is still universally respected is the rule that electromagnetic radiation that is known to be of atomic nuclear origin is always referred to as "gamma rays", and never as X-rays.