/ English Dictionary |
GAMMA RAY
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Electromagnetic radiation emitted during radioactive decay and having an extremely short wavelength
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Hypernyms ("gamma ray" is a kind of...):
electromagnetic radiation; electromagnetic wave; nonparticulate radiation (radiation consisting of waves of energy associated with electric and magnetic fields resulting from the acceleration of an electric charge)
Holonyms ("gamma ray" is a part of...):
electromagnetic spectrum (the entire frequency range of electromagnetic waves)
Context examples:
Gamma rays are identical to x-rays and are only differentiated by their origin.
(Gamma Radiation, NCI Thesaurus)
But the spacecraft saw no X-rays — a surprise for an event that produced higher-energy gamma rays.
(NASA Missions Catch First Light from a Gravitational-Wave Event, NASA)
Previous identifications of this isotope have come from the detection of gamma rays, but their precise origin had been unknown.
(Stellar Corpse Reveals Origin of Radioactive Molecules, ESO)
A different team of scientists was able to gather data on the Cow over an even broader range of wavelengths, spanning from radio waves to gamma rays.
(Mysterious Blast Studied with NASA Telescopes, NASA)
In recent years, the Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy's H.E.S.S. experiment has identified more than 80 incredibly powerful sites of gamma rays, called high-energy gamma-ray sources, in our Milky Way.
(Pulse of a Dead Star Powers Intense Gamma Rays, NASA)
The system detects pairs of gamma rays emitted indirectly by a positron-emitting radionuclide (tracer), which is introduced into the body on the biologically active molecule fluoro-L-thymidine (FLT).
(FLT-Positron Emission Tomography, NCI Thesaurus)
The system detects pairs of gamma rays emitted indirectly by a positron-emitting radionuclide (tracer), which is introduced into the body on the biologically active molecule (fludeoxyglucose) FDG.
(FDG-Positron Emission Tomography, NCI Thesaurus)
By combining observations in the infrared, radio waves, visible light, X-rays and extremely energetic gamma rays, scientists can study the physics of these powerful jets.
(The Giant Galaxy Around the Giant Black Hole, NASA)
Geminga (pronounced geh-MING-ga), discovered in 1972 by NASA’s Small Astronomy Satellite 2, is among the brightest pulsars in gamma rays.
(NASA’s Fermi Mission Links Nearby Pulsar’s Gamma-ray ‘Halo’ to Antimatter Puzzle, NASA)
A type of radiation therapy that uses x-rays or gamma rays that come from a special machine called a linear accelerator (linac).
(Electron Beam Therapy, NCI Dictionary)