Concept information
Preferred term
GAMMA RAY
Definition
- Gamma Rays (or gamma radiation) is electromagnetic radiation originating from transitions between energy levels of atomic nuclei. <P> A nucleus formed as a consequence of beta or alpha emission sometimes exists briefly in an excited energy level and makes a transition to a lower energy level accompanied by emission of a gamma ray photon with energy equal to the difference between the energies of the initial and final levels. Gamma ray energies from radioactive decay lie in the approximate range 10 keV6 MeV. Gamma rays are also emitted in nuclear reactions. The boundary between x-rays and gamma rays is fuzzy, the latter term being most often used for electromagnetic radiation of nuclear origin. (en)
Broader concept
- SPECTRAL/ENGINEERING (en)
Narrower concepts
- GAMMA RAY FLUX (en)
URI
https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/0a81d67a-102b-4611-a38c-dbfdd7ba4e7d
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