Gamma rays can be generated spontaneously in space.
Gamma rays are waves that are generated from the annihilation of particles or through a nuclear transition. Ray , originating from the Latin word radius , is the name given to the line born where a certain type of energy is produced and that extends in the same direction to where it is radiated.
According to the energy class, it is possible to distinguish between different rays. The ionizing radiation of gamma rays, which has great penetrating power and a high energy level, is made up of photons, whose energy is estimated in a unit known as megaelectronvolts or MeV . Due to their properties , gamma rays can cause important alterations in cell nuclei.
Generation and use of gamma rays
Gamma rays can be generated through various processes or occur spontaneously in space. In the latter case, when they arise from the nuclei of an active galaxy or from a supernova , the rays do not reach the Earth since they are absorbed by the atmosphere. However, they can be observed through telescopes located in space.
The most frequent use of gamma rays is in sterilization . It is possible to use this radiation to eliminate bacteria from food or to sterilize instruments used in medicine .
Gamma rays are also used for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases and disorders. Since these rays can change the structure of cells and cause cancer, their use requires great control.
With gamma rays it is possible to sterilize surgical instruments.
The shoots
Also referred to simply by its acronym BRG , or its equivalent in English, GRB , gamma ray bursts are flashes of this type of rays that are associated with explosions of considerable energy in galaxies that are located at great distances. These are the most luminous electromagnetic events that take place in outer space. Regarding its duration, it can be as short as a few nanoseconds or up to a few hours; Normally, on the other hand, it does not exceed a few seconds.
Gamma ray bursts often precede a residual luminescence, which lasts a long time and has radiation at longer wavelengths (radiofrequency, ultraviolet radiation, infrared radiation, visible light and X-rays ). Some specialists claim that, in general, gamma ray bursts are beams of light with intense radiation whose rays are oriented in parallel (this is technically called collimated light ). In addition, it is believed that they are produced by a supernova.
A supernova is understood as a stellar explosion that sometimes manifests itself very obviously in regions of the celestial sphere in which observers had not detected any particular body.
Gamma ray astronomy
The study of the universe through this type of rays, defined in previous paragraphs, is known as gamma ray astronomy . Since our planet's atmosphere does not allow gamma radiation, the first astronomers to observe gamma photons needed rockets and balloon probes; At that time, they could not carry out very extensive observations, something that has completely changed with the creation of artificial satellites .
To detect this type of radiation, it is necessary to use large devices (similar to the Geiser counter, an instrument for measuring radioactivity levels), whose manufacture involves the assembly of metal plates of considerable thickness.
Gamma rays usually arise from black holes, high-speed collisions, particle jets or supernova explosions, among other phenomena of similar magnitude, and for this reason some sources refer to gamma ray astronomy using the name astronomy. of the violent universe .