Table of Contents
What type of radiation does gamma rays use?
electromagnetic radiation
Gamma rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation (EMR). They are the similar to X-rays, distinguished only by the fact that they are emitted from an excited nucleus.
Where do gamma rays fall on the spectrum?
Gamma rays fall in the range of the EM spectrum above soft X-rays. Gamma rays have frequencies greater than about 10^19 cycles per second, or hertz (Hz), and wavelengths of less than 100 picometers (pm), or 4 x 10^9 inches.
How radioactive is a gamma ray burst?
When this effect is taken into account, typical gamma-ray bursts are observed to have a true energy release of about 1044 J, or about 1/2000 of a Solar mass ( M ☉) energy equivalent – which is still many times the mass-energy equivalent of the Earth (about 5.5 × 1041 J).
What are characteristics of gamma rays?
Because it is electromagnetic radiation, gamma photons have no mass and no electrical charge, and they travel at the speed of light (3.108 m.s-1), being able to cover hundreds to thousands of meters in air before spending their energy. Gamma-rays have the smargies above 100 keV).
What is a gamma-ray burst?
To understand gamma-ray bursts, you must first understand that gamma-rays are the most energetic form of light. Light is the familiar word for what physicists call electromagnetic radiation or electromagnetic waves. Light is a form of energy; it can travel through empty space and is in the form of individual wave packets called photons.
What is a gamma-ray flash?
At least once a day, the sky lights up with a spectacular flash of gamma-rays coming from deep space (remember: gamma-rays are not in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum so we consequently are not aware of the phenomena). The brightness of this flash of gamma-rays can temporarily overwhelm all other gamma-ray sources in the Universe.
How are gamma rays detected in the universe?
Gamma-rays can be detected in the magnetic flares on the surface of our Sun, and by the radioactive decay of short-lived atomic nuclei produced by supernova explosions in the Galaxy. All objects in our Universe emit, reflect, and absorb electromagnetic radiation in their own distinctive ways.
What is the difference between gamma ray and X ray?
Gamma-rays occur when atomic nuclei are split or fused. X-rays occur when an electron orbiting close to an atomic nucleus is pushed outward with such force that it escapes the atom; ultraviolet, when an electron is jolted from a near to a far orbit; and visible and infrared, when electrons are jolted a few orbits out.