Producing Gamma ray

[netrat]

People are saying gamma ray come from decaying nucleus and is different from X-ray of same frequency.

But afterall its em ray, not a particle stream.

Then theoretically if you go on increasing the quanta of energy of photon, can't you make gamma ray?

[Mr Skeptic]

The frequency of a photon determines its energy. Photons of the same frequency are pretty much the same, although they may have a different polarization, phase, or be moving in different directions. They'll still be the same "color" though, even if that "color" is gamma ray.

[netrat]

The frequency of a photon determines its energy. Photons of the same frequency are pretty much the same, although they may have a different polarization, phase, or be moving in different directions. They'll still be the same "color" though, even if that "color" is gamma ray.

 

Exactly, Thats my point. You are not restricted to produce any em radiation as all are photons with different quanta of energy.

But if you google and see some other sites, people are laughing on guys asking the same question. I don't understand why.

[Bob_for_short]

People are saying gamma ray come from decaying nucleus and is different from X-ray of same frequency.

But after all its em ray, not a particle stream.

Then theoretically if you go on increasing the quanta of energy of photon, can't you make gamma ray?

Yes, we can and we make. By increasing the projectile energy in the Bremsstrahlung, for example.

 

A regular, visible light becomes gamma-ray flux in a fast-moving reference frame due to Doppler shift (increase) of frequency.

 

But normally nuclear gamma-rays sources in laboratories emit much less photons than there is in a visible light. So gamma-rays consist of rare "particles" (hard photons).

Edited September 4, 2010 by Bob_for_short

[swansont]

Gammas come from nuclear interactions; it's a matter of semantics. But you could not tell the difference between a gamma and an x-ray of the same energy. They're both photons.