Gamma-ray techniques

Gamma-ray techniques use or detect high-energy photons to measure materials, form images, analyze radiation, or treat disease.

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Positron emission tomography: A medical imaging method that detects paired photons produced when positrons annihilate with electrons. It maps radioactive tracer distributions by detecting gamma-ray pairs.
Scintillation detector: A radiation detector that converts deposited energy into flashes of light and then into an electrical signal. It is a common way to register gamma-ray interactions and estimate their energies.
Gamma ray: A high-energy photon emitted in nuclear transitions and other energetic processes. It is the radiation these techniques produce, detect, or apply.
X-ray: A high-energy photon commonly produced by electron interactions or atomic transitions. X-rays often share detector methods with gamma rays but differ chiefly in origin.
Single-photon emission computed tomography: A medical imaging method that reconstructs three-dimensional tracer distributions from detected gamma photons. It forms tomographic images from gamma rays emitted directly by radiotracers.
Semiconductor detector: A radiation detector that converts ionization in a semiconductor into measurable electrical charge. Its charge signal enables precise gamma-ray energy measurements.
Radioactive decay: The spontaneous transformation of an unstable atomic nucleus, often accompanied by radiation emission. Radioactive decay supplies gamma photons for many tracers and calibrated sources.
X-ray imaging: Imaging that measures how an object attenuates an externally generated X-ray beam. It contrasts with nuclear imaging, which detects radiation emitted from within.
Gamma-ray spectroscopy: The measurement of gamma-ray energies and intensities to identify radioactive nuclides and nuclear transitions. It uses photon energies to identify emitting isotopes and nuclear processes.
Compton scattering: The interaction in which a photon scatters from a charged particle, changing direction and energy. It is a major way gamma rays deposit energy and can be detected.