gamma radiation

British  

noun

1. electromagnetic radiation emitted by atomic nuclei; the wavelength is generally in the range 1 × 10 ^–10 to 2 × 10 ^–13 metres

2. electromagnetic radiation of very short wavelength emitted by any source, esp the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum with a wavelength less than about 1 × 10 ^–11 metres

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gamma radiation Cultural  

1. The most energetic radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum; it has the lowest wavelength and the highest frequency in the spectrum. Gamma rays are sent out by some radioactive nuclei. Unlike alpha radiation and beta radiation, gamma rays are not made up of particles, and they have no charge.

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Example Sentences

If the excess gamma radiation turns out not to come from aging stars, it could represent the first concrete evidence that dark matter is real.

From Science Daily • Oct. 18, 2025

The water board demanded the cities to submit plans by April to scan these areas for cancer-causing gamma radiation and sample for banned pesticides, including DDT.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2024

In the main lab, one volunteer is chopping cabbage before taking it to be measured for gamma radiation, and another is treating water before the sample is tested.

From BBC • Jul. 13, 2023

For example, its scientists have consistently relied upon simulations rather than direct values of background gamma radiation, the simplest of the measurements one can make.

From Scientific American • Apr. 4, 2022

The new biotic control of insects is not wholly a matter of electronics and gamma radiation and other products of man’s inventive mind.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson