Gamma-ray techniques encompass experimental and analytical methods that utilize high-energy photons, typically above 100 keV, to probe nuclear structure, material composition, and high-energy processes. These techniques include gamma-ray spectroscopy for resolving discrete nuclear energy levels via high-purity germanium or scintillation detectors, gamma radiography and tomography for non-destructive internal imaging based on differential attenuation, and activation analysis where induced radioactivity quantifies elemental concentrations. They rely on well-characterized interactions such as photoelectric absorption, Compton scattering, and pair production, and often require precise energy calibration, shielding, coincidence measurements, and advanced signal processing to achieve high resolution, sensitivity, and isotopic selectivity.
A scientific team led by Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB, has identified the origin of a mysterious excess of low-energy gamma rays emitted by the nucleus zinc-70. They found that the excess is caused by magnetic ...
General Physics
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In a single experiment, physicists have measured the "excess" emission of high-energy gamma rays from more than a dozen heavy, unstable atomic nuclei. Mapping the gamma-ray emissions of so many isotopes produced in nuclear ...
General Physics
Jul 16, 2026
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NASA's plans to return astronauts to the moon through the Artemis program and ultimately send humans to Mars highlight just how far space exploration has come. Yet while the moon and Mars remain compelling destinations filled ...
Astronomy
Jun 8, 2026
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In the air people breathe, the water on Earth, the stars in the sky and more, atoms are the building blocks that make up the universe. Understanding the structure of the atomic nucleus is crucial for research with implications ...
Condensed Matter
Mar 31, 2026
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Nuclear isomers are crucial probes for studying the structure of nuclei. Unlike chemical isomers—which have the same chemical formula but different arrangements of atoms—nuclear isomers are nuclei that exist in a long-lived ...
General Physics
Mar 13, 2026
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161
Heat-resilient biofertilizers could help crops cope with rising temperatures but engineering them has been slow and uncertain. A new study at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) shows that pairing ...
Biotechnology
Jan 12, 2026
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Researchers from Skoltech, MEPhI, and the Dukhov All-Russian Research Institute of Automation have proposed a new method to create compact gamma-ray sources that are simultaneously brighter, sharper, and capable of emitting ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 12, 2026
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A University of Colorado Denver engineer is on the cusp of giving scientists a new tool that can help them turn sci-fi into reality.
Quantum Physics
Jul 23, 2025
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Five telescopes of the H.E.S.S.-collaboration in Namibia are used to study cosmic radiation, especially gamma radiation. With data from 10 years of observations, researchers have now been able to detect cosmic electrons and ...
Astronomy
Nov 25, 2024
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Magnetic confinement fusion devices are technologies that can attain controlled nuclear fusion reactions, using magnetic fields to confine hot plasmas. These devices could contribute to the ongoing transition towards more ...
