1.
[syn: gamma radiation, gamma ray]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Gamma ray \Gam"ma ray\ n. (Physics)
A very penetrating electromagnetic ray not appreciably
deflected by a magnetic or electric field, emitted by
radioactive substances. Gamma rays are photons of
electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength shorter than
that of X-rays, (i. e. shorter than 0.1 nanometer) and are
correspondingly more penetrating than X-rays. In addition to
being given off in certain types of radioactive decay, they
may be found in cosmic radiation, though they are largely
absorbed by the earth's atmosphere. Gamma-ray detectors
orbited above the atmosphere have found bursts of gamma
radiation, in some cases associated with visually observed
supernova explosions, but in most cases from unidentified
sources.
[Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
gamma ray
n 1: electromagnetic radiation emitted during radioactive decay
and having an extremely short wavelength [syn: gamma
radiation, gamma ray]