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

California Department of Public Health officials, however, said the initial gamma radiation observed at the Albany Bulb presented a “low level of risk to the public.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2024

Radiation portal monitors detect gamma radiation and are typically used at airports to scan individuals to ensure they do not have radioactive substances on them.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2023

For Rongelap, further research is needed to understand the large amount of background gamma radiation on one of the northern islands, called Naen, as well as the presence of plutonium isotopes in the soil.

From Scientific American • Apr. 4, 2022

The cometary impact and fireball would simulate all effects of a one- megaton nuclear burst, including the mushroom cloud, with two exceptions: there would be no gamma radiation or radioactive fallout.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan