30 Facts About Gamma rays

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

In 1903, Ernest Rutherford named this radiation gamma rays based on their relatively strong penetration of matter; in 1900 he had already named two less penetrating types of decay radiation alpha rays and beta rays in ascending order of penetrating power.

The energy spectrum of gamma rays can be used to identify the decaying radionuclides using gamma spectroscopy.

Natural sources of gamma rays originating on Earth are mostly a result of radioactive decay and secondary radiation from atmospheric interactions with cosmic ray particles.

Notable artificial sources of gamma rays include fission, such as that which occurs in nuclear reactors, and high energy physics experiments, such as neutral pion decay and nuclear fusion.

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

Gamma rays are ionizing radiation and are thus hazardous to life.

Gamma rays cannot be reflected by a mirror and their wavelengths are so small that they will pass between the atoms in a detector.

Rutherford noted that gamma rays were not deflected by a magnetic field, another property making them unlike alpha and beta rays.

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

In 1914, gamma rays were observed to be reflected from crystal surfaces, proving that they were electromagnetic radiation.

Some rare terrestrial natural sources that produce gamma rays that are not of a nuclear origin, are lightning strikes and terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, which produce high energy emissions from natural high-energy voltages.

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

Notable artificial sources of gamma rays include fission, such as occurs in nuclear reactors, as well as high energy physics experiments, such as neutral pion decay and nuclear fusion.

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

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

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

Typically, gamma rays are the products of neutral systems which decay through electromagnetic interactions .

Since gamma rays are at the top of the electromagnetic spectrum in terms of energy, all extremely high-energy photons are gamma rays; for example, a photon having the Planck energy would be a gamma ray.

Extraterrestrial, high energy gamma rays include the gamma ray background produced when cosmic rays collide with ordinary matter, producing pair-production gamma rays at 511 keV.

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

Materials for shielding gamma rays are typically measured by the thickness required to reduce the intensity of the gamma rays by one half .

However, when emitted gamma rays carry essentially all of the energy of the atomic nuclear de-excitation that produces them, this energy is sufficient to excite the same energy state in a second immobilized nucleus of the same type.

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

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Gamma rays-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.

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

Gamma 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.

Since the energy of photons is proportional to their frequency and inversely proportional to wavelength, this past distinction between X-rays and gamma rays can be thought of in terms of its energy, with gamma rays considered to be higher energy electromagnetic radiation than are X-rays.