Courses
Courses for Kids
Free study material
Offline Centres
More
Store Icon
Store

Who discovered \[\gamma \] rays?

seo-qna
SearchIcon
Answer
VerifiedVerified
386.7k+ views
Hint:Let us discuss the ‘gamma rays’ which are the characteristics of these rays and then we will meet the discoverer of these rays.These are the rays or the radiations which are highly penetrative form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei.

Complete answer:
Gamma rays or \[\gamma \] rays: Gamma rays are highly penetrative by nature through matter and also through the living cells causing damage to them to a great extent. These rays possess the highest of energy and shortest wavelength. These are used mainly in industries, medical operations, etc.

These rays were discovered a bit after the discovery of alpha and beta rays. Gamma rays were discovered by the French chemist and physicist Paul Villard while studying radiation emitted from radium.Natural sources of gamma rays on Earth are mostly the result of radioactive decay or secondary radiation from cosmic ray particles.

Since, there are other rare natural sources like terrestrial gamma-ray flashes which produce gamma rays from electron action upon the nucleus then notably, artificial sources of gamma rays include fission like which occurs in nuclear reactors and high energy physics experiment or nuclear fusion.

Note:Here, we must know that the discovery was done by Paul Villard but the rays were named by Ernest Rutherford as Gamma rays. This was the crucial discovery of the entire time because this can make us identify the most of the universe. And also use this in various industries as well as medical needs.