Gammauksen

Gammauksen is a term used in particle physics to describe the process where a nucleus undergoes gamma decay. Gamma decay is a type of radioactive decay that occurs when an excited atomic nucleus releases energy in the form of a gamma ray photon. This excitation can occur after other forms of decay, such as alpha or beta decay, leave the nucleus in a high-energy state.

When a nucleus is in an excited state, it seeks to return to its ground state. This transition is achieved by emitting a gamma ray, which is a high-energy photon. Unlike alpha and beta decay, gamma decay does not change the number of protons or neutrons in the nucleus, thus it does not transform the element. Instead, it simply reduces the energy of the nucleus.

The energy of the emitted gamma ray is characteristic of the specific energy difference between the excited state and the lower energy state of the nucleus. This property allows gamma spectroscopy to be used as a tool to identify different isotopes and study nuclear structure. Gammauksen is a common process for many radioactive isotopes and is fundamental to understanding nuclear stability and the behavior of excited nuclei.