gamma decay

Dictionary: gamma decay

A radioactive process in which an atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting a gamma ray without a change in its atomic or mass numbers.
The decay of an unstable elementary particle by photon emission.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: gamma decay

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Type of radioactivity in the most common form of which an unstable atomic nucleus dissipates energy by gamma emission, producing gamma rays. Gamma decay also includes two other processes, internal conversion and internal pair production. In internal conversion, excess energy in a nucleus is transferred to one of its own orbiting electrons and the electron is ejected from the atom. In internal pair production, excess energy is converted into an electron and a positron, which are emitted together. Typical half-lives (see half-life) for gamma emission range from about 10^-9 to 10^-14 second.

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		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more