You gamma (γ) are a type of radiation electromagnetic formed by photons highly energetic and high frequency. They have a great penetrating capacity, being able to propagate thousands of meters in the air and through steel plates up to 15 cm thick. They propagate in a vacuum at the speed of light, about 300,000 km/s.
Gamma radiation is the most penetrating radiation, but it can be blocked with lead or molybdenum plates, which have high densities
Gamma rays are produced by the decayradioactive of atomic nuclei and were discovered by the physicist and chemist Paul Villard, in 1900, during his experiments on the radioactive emission of the chemical element Radium. They were named gamma radiation by Ernest Rutherford, the discoverer of alpha and beta radiation.
Due to his high potency, the gamma radiation is ionizing, as it has the ability to rip electrons from their atoms. This process is particularly harmful to living beings, since this type of interaction of radiation with matter can damage various tissues at the cellular level, impairing their process of replication.
Gamma ray characteristics
Typically, gamma rays have high frequencies, reaching up to 1019 Hz, and wavelengths on the order of 10-11 m, being the most energetic radiation in the entire electromagnetic spectrum, with the shortest wavelengths. They can be observed on Earth through nuclear decays of radioactive elements, such as Cobalt-60 or Uranium, fissions nuclear, atmospheric electrical discharges or even by the interaction of cosmic rays with the particles and molecules present in the Earth's atmosphere.
→ Curiosities about gamma rays
Gamma ray detection
Unlike visible light or X-rays, gamma rays cannot be reflected by mirrors. O wave-length This type of radiation is very small, allowing it to be easily transmitted through atoms because of the superior size of the interatomic distances.
the only way to to detect the passage of gamma rays is by the physical phenomenon called Compton spread: a process in which gamma radiation photons collide with the electrons of very dense materials, producing particles electrically loaded, that can be detected.
Gamma ray bursts
Gamma ray bursts are the most energetic cosmic events and “bright" of the entire universe, second only to the big Bang. A gamma ray burst can release in 10 seconds more energy than the Sun in its entire lifetime – about 10 billion years.
By Rafael Hellerbrock
Graduated in Physics
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/fisica/o-que-sao-raios-gama.htm