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

First recorded in 1900–05

Well, maybe it was a gamma-ray burst, or maybe it was something else, cautioned some others.

A source of neutrons to activate the material and a gamma-ray spectrometer to measure the radiation from the material afterwards.

Then you place each card, in turn, on a holder close to the gamma-ray detector for a period of 10 minutes.

Gamma-ray spectra are collected all day, first from a sample, then from its accompanying standard.

It has been shown that data collected by high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometers can be “fed” directly to a computer.

A typical gamma-ray spectrum looks like the one in the figure on the next page.

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