GAMMA RAY Definition & Meaning

gamma ray

noun

Physics.

a photon of penetrating electromagnetic radiation gamma radiation emitted from an atomic nucleus.
a photon emitted by an electron as a result of internal conversion.
electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than approximately one tenth of a nanometer.

gamma ray

A stream of high-energy electromagnetic radiation given off by an atomic nucleus undergoing radioactive decay. Because the wavelengths of gamma rays are shorter than those of x-rays, gamma rays have greater energy and penetrating power than x-rays. Gamma rays are emitted by pulsars, quasars, and radio galaxies but cannot penetrate the Earth's atmosphere.
See more at radioactive decay

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of gamma ray¹

First recorded in 1900–05

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Although humans can't see them, radio waves are a form of light in the sense that they are part of the electromagnetic spectrum, which also includes X-rays and gamma rays.

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A gamma ray detector on a device developed by a Cornish company is being used to assess soil quality.

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The gamma rays detected on Earth tell us a great deal about these sources, since they travel through space undisturbed.

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Astrophysicists at the University of California, Berkeley, now argue that the axion could be discovered within seconds of the detection of gamma rays from a nearby supernova explosion.

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Light that reaches our telescopes ranges in wavelength from long radio waves to energetic gamma rays.

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