Gamma ray

Gamma ray
Gamma radiation, also known as gamma rays or hyphenated as gamma-rays and denoted as , is electromagnetic radiation of high frequency and therefore high energy. Gamma rays are ionizing radiation and are thus biologically hazardous. They are classically produced by the decay from high energy states of atomic nuclei (gamma decay), but are also created by other processes. Paul Villard, a French chemist and physicist, discovered gamma radiation in 1900, while studying radiation emitted from radium during its gamma decay. Villard's radiation was named "gamma rays" by Ernest Rutherford in 1903. Natural sources of gamma rays on Earth include gamma decay from naturally occurring radioisotopes, and secondary radiation from atmospheric interactions with cosmic ray particles. Rare terrestrial natural sources produce gamma rays that are not of a nuclear origin, such as lightning strikes and terrestrial gamma-ray flashes. Gamma rays are produced by a number of astronomical processes in which very high-energy electrons are produced, that in turn cause secondary gamma rays by the mechanisms of bremsstrahlung, inverse Compton scattering and synchrotron radiation. A large fraction of such astronomical gamma rays are screened by Earth's atmosphere and must be detected by spacecraft. Gamma rays typically have frequencies above 10 Gamma rays are emitted during radioactive decay processes such exahertz (or >1019 Hz), and therefore have energies above as those found in nuclear explosions. 100 keV and wavelengths less than 10 picometers (less than the diameter of an atom). However, this is not a hard and fast definition, but rather only a rule-of-thumb description for natural processes. Gamma rays from radioactive decay are defined as gamma rays no matter what their energy, so that there is no lower limit to gamma energy derived from radioactive decay. Gamma decay commonly produces energies of a few hundred keV, and almost always less than 10 MeV. In astronomy, gamma rays are defined by their energy, and no production process need be specified. The energies of gamma rays from astronomical sources range over 10 TeV, at a level far too large to result from radioactive decay. A notable example is extremely powerful bursts of high-energy radiation normally referred to as long duration gamma-ray bursts, which produce gamma rays by a mechanism not compatible with radioactive decay. These bursts of gamma rays, thought to be due to the collapse of stars called hypernovas, are the most powerful events so far discovered in the cosmos.

Illustration of an emission of a gamma ray () from an atomic nucleus.

Gamma ray

History of discovery
The first gamma ray source to be discovered historically was the radioactive decay process called gamma decay. In this type of decay, an excited nucleus emits a gamma ray almost immediately upon formation (it is now understood that a nuclear isomeric transition, however, can produce inhibited gamma decay with a measurable and much longer half-life). Paul Villard, a French chemist and physicist, discovered gamma radiation in 1900, while studying radiation emitted from radium. Villard knew that his described radiation was more powerful than previously described rays from radium, but did not consider naming them as a different fundamental type.[1][2] Villard's radiation was recognized as being of a type fundamentally different from previously-named rays, by Ernest Rutherford, who in 1903 named Villard's rays "gamma rays" by analogy with the beta and alpha rays that Rutherford had differentiated in 1899.[3] Gamma rays were named in order of their penetrating power: alpha rays least, followed by beta rays, followed by gamma rays as the most penetrating. Rutherford also noted that gamma rays were not deflected (or at least, not easily deflected) by a magnetic field, another property making them unlike alpha and beta rays. Gamma rays were first thought to be particles like alpha and beta rays (hence the term "ray"). However, in 1910 British physicist William Henry Bragg demonstrated that gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation, not massive particles. Thus, the failure to be deflected by a magnetic field was a characteristic expected of electromagnetic radation. In 1914, Rutherford and his coworker Edward Andrade measured the wavelengths of gamma rays from radium, and found that they were similar to X-rays but with shorter wavelengths and (thus) higher frequency. This was eventually recognized as giving them also more energy per photon, as soon as the latter term became generally accepted. A gamma decay was then understood to usually emit a single gamma photon.

Sources of gamma rays

Natural sources of gamma rays on Earth include gamma decay from naturally occurring radioisotopes such as potassium-40, and also as a secondary radiation from various atmospheric interactions with cosmic ray particles. Some rare terrestrial natural sources that produce gamma rays that are not of a nuclear origin, are lightning strikes and terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, which produce high energy emissions from natural high-energy This animation tracks several gamma rays through space and time, from their voltages. Gamma rays are produced by a emission in the jet of a distant blazar to their arrival in Fermi's Large Area number of astronomical processes in which Telescope (LAT). very high-energy electrons are produced. Such electrons produce secondary gamma rays by the mechanisms of bremsstrahlung, inverse Compton scattering and synchrotron radiation. A large fraction of such astronomical gamma rays are screened by Earth's atmosphere and must be detected by spacecraft. Notable artificial sources of gamma rays include fission such as occurs in nuclear reactors, and high energy physics experiments, such as neutral pion decay and nuclear fusion.

Gamma ray

General characteristics
Gamma rays typically have frequencies above 10 exahertz (or >1019 Hz), and therefore have energies above 100 keV and wavelengths less than 10 picometers (less than the diameter of an atom).[4] However, this is not a hard and fast definition but rather only a rule-of-thumb description for natural processes. Gamma rays from radioactive decay commonly have energies of a few hundred keV, and almost always less than 10 MeV. On the other side of the decay energy range, there is effectively no lower limit to gamma energy derived from radioactive decay. By contrast, the energies of gamma rays from astronomical sources can be much higher, ranging over 10 TeV, at a level far too large to result from radioactive decay.[5] The distinction between X-rays and gamma rays has changed in recent decades. Originally, the electromagnetic radiation emitted by X-ray tubes almost invariably had a longer wavelength than the radiation (gamma rays) emitted by radioactive nuclei.[6] Older literature distinguished between X- and gamma radiation on the basis of wavelength, with radiation shorter than some arbitrary wavelength, such as 1011 m, defined as gamma rays.[7] However, with artificial sources now able to duplicate any electromagnetic radiation that originates in the nucleus, as well as far higher energies, the wavelengths characteristic of radioactive gamma ray sources vs. other types, now completely overlap. Thus, gamma rays are now usually distinguished by their origin: X-rays are emitted by definition by electrons outside the nucleus, while gamma rays are emitted by the nucleus.[6][8][9][10] Exceptions to this convention occur in astronomy, where gamma decay is seen in the afterglow of certain supernovas, but other high energy processes known to involve other than radioactive decay are still classed as sources of gamma radiation. A notable example is extremely powerful bursts of high-energy radiation normally referred to as long duration gamma-ray bursts, which produce gamma rays by a mechanism not compatible with radioactive decay. These bursts of gamma rays, thought to be due to the collapse of stars called hypernovas, are the most powerful events so far discovered in the cosmos.

Naming conventions and overlap in terminology

Gamma ray

In the past, the distinction between X-rays and gamma rays was based on energy, with gamma rays being considered a higher-energy version of electromagnetic radiation. However, modern high-energy X-rays produced by linear accelerators for megavoltage treatment in cancer often have higher energy (4 to 25 MeV) than do most classical gamma rays produced by nuclear gamma decay. One of the most common gamma ray emitting isotopes used in diagnostic nuclear medicine, technetium-99m, produces gamma radiation of the same energy (140 keV) as that produced by diagnostic X-ray machines, but of significantly lower energy than therapeutic photons from linear particle accelerators. In the medical community today, the convention that radiation produced by nuclear decay is the only type referred to as "gamma" radiation is still respected.

Because of this broad overlap in energy ranges, in physics the two types of electromagnetic radiation are now often defined by their origin: X-rays are emitted by electrons (either in orbitals outside of the nucleus, or while being accelerated to produce Bremsstrahlung-type radiation),[12] while gamma rays are emitted by the nucleus or by means of other particle decays or annihilation events. There is no lower limit to the energy of photons produced by nuclear reactions, and thus ultraviolet or lower energy photons produced by these processes would also be defined as "gamma rays".[13] The only naming-convention that is still universally respected is the rule that electromagnetic radiation that is known to be of atomic nuclear origin is always referred to as "gamma rays," and never as X-rays. However, in physics and astronomy, the reverse convention that all gamma rays are considered to be of nuclear origin is frequently violated. In astronomy, higher energy gamma and X-rays are defined by energy, since the processes which produce them may be uncertain and photon energy, not origin, determines the required astronomical detectors needed.[14] High energy photons occur in nature which are known to be produced by processes other than nuclear decay but are still referred to as gamma radiation. An example is "gamma rays" from lightning discharges at 10 to 20 MeV, and known to be produced by the Bremsstrahlung mechanism. Another example is gamma ray bursts, now known to be produced from processes too powerful to involve simple collections of atoms undergoing radioactive decay. This has led to the realization that many gamma rays produced in astronomical processes result not from radioactive decay or particle annihilation, but rather in much the same manner as the production of X-rays. Although gamma rays in astronomy are discussed below as non-radioactive events, in fact a few gamma rays are known in astronomy to originate explicitly from gamma decay of nucleus (by their spectra and half-life). A classic example is that of supernova SN 1987A, which emits an "afterglow" of gamma-ray photons from the decay of newly made radioactive cobalt-56. Most gamma rays in astronomy, however, arise by other mechanisms. Note that, astronomical literature tends to write "gamma-ray" with a hyphen, by analogy to X-rays, rather than in a way analogous to alpha rays and beta rays. This notation tends to subtly stress the non-nuclear source of most astronomical gamma rays.

The Moon as seen by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, in gamma rays of greater than 20 MeV. These are produced by cosmic ray bombardment of its surface. The Sun, which has no similar surface of high atomic number to act as target for cosmic rays, cannot usually be seen at all at these energies, which are too high to emerge from primary nuclear reactions, such as solar nuclear fusion (though occasionally the Sun produces gamma rays by cyclotron-type mechanisms, during solar flares). Gamma rays [11] have higher energy than X-rays.

Gamma ray

Units of measure and exposure

The measure of gamma rays' ionizing ability is called the exposure: The coulomb per kilogram (C/kg) is the SI unit of ionizing radiation exposure, and is the amount of radiation required to create 1 coulomb of charge of each polarity in 1 kilogram of matter. The rntgen (R) is an obsolete traditional unit of exposure, which represented the amount of radiation required to create 1 esu of charge of each polarity in 1 cubic centimeter of dry air. 1 rntgen = 2.58104 C/kg However, the effect of gamma and other ionizing radiation on living tissue is more closely related to the amount of energy deposited rather than the charge. This is called the absorbed dose: The gray (Gy), which has units of (J/kg), is the SI unit of absorbed dose, and is the amount of radiation required to deposit 1 joule of energy in 1 kilogram of any kind of matter. The rad is the deprecated CGS unit, equal to 0.01 J deposited per kg. 100 rad = 1 Gy. The equivalent dose is the measure of the biological effect of radiation on human tissue. For gamma rays it is equal to the absorbed dose. The sievert (Sv) is the SI unit of equivalent dose, which for gamma rays is numerically equal to the gray (Gy). The rem is the deprecated CGS unit of equivalent dose. For gamma rays it is equal to the rad or 0.01 J of energy deposited per kg. 1 Sv = 100 rem.

Properties
Shielding
Shielding from gamma rays requires large amounts of mass, in contrast to alpha particles which can be blocked by paper or skin, and beta particles which can be shielded by foil. Gamma rays are better absorbed by materials with high atomic numbers and high density, although neither effect is important compared to the total mass per area in the path of the gamma ray. For this reason, a lead shield is only modestly better (2030% better) as a gamma shield, than an equal mass of another shielding material such as aluminium, concrete, water or soil; lead's major advantage is not in lower weight, but rather its compactness due to its higher density. Protective clothing, goggles and respirators can protect from internal contact with or ingestion of alpha or beta emitting particles, but provide no protection from gamma radiation from external sources. The higher the energy of the gamma rays, the thicker the shielding made from the same shielding material is required. Materials for shielding gamma rays are typically measured by the thickness required to reduce the intensity of the gamma rays by one half (the half value layer or HVL). For example gamma rays that require 1 cm (0.4) of lead to reduce their intensity by 50% will also have their intensity reduced in half by 4.1 cm of granite rock, 6cm (2) of concrete, or 9cm (3) of packed soil. However, the mass of this much concrete or soil is only 2030% greater than that of lead with the same absorption capability. Depleted uranium is used for shielding in portable gamma ray sources, but again the savings in weight over lead is modest, and the main effect is to reduce shielding bulk. In a nuclear power plant, shielding can be provided by steel and concrete in the pressure and particle containment vessel, while water provides a radiation shielding of fuel rods during storage or transport into the reactor core. The loss of water or removal of a "hot" fuel assembly into the air would result in much higher radiation levels than when kept under water.

Gamma ray

Matter interaction
When a gamma ray passes through matter, the probability for absorption is proportional to the thickness of the layer, the density of the material, and the absorption cross section of the material. The total absorption shows an exponential decrease of intensity with distance from the incident surface:

where x is the distance from the incident surface, = n is the absorption coefficient, measured in cm1, n the number of atoms per cm3 of the material (atomic density), the absorption cross section in cm2 and x the distance from the incident surface of the gamma rays in cm. As it passes through matter, gamma radiation ionizes via three processes: the photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, and pair production.

The total absorption coefficient of aluminium (atomic number 13) for gamma rays, plotted versus gamma energy, and the contributions by the three effects. As is usual, the photoelectric effect is largest at low energies, Compton scattering dominates at intermediate energies, and pair production dominates at high energies.

Photoelectric effect: This describes the case in which a gamma photon interacts with and transfers its energy to an atomic electron, causing the ejection of that electron from the atom. The kinetic energy of the resulting photoelectron is equal to the energy of the incident The total absorption coefficient of lead (atomic number 82) for gamma rays, gamma photon minus the energy that plotted versus gamma energy, and the contributions by the three effects. Here, the photoelectric effect dominates at low energy. Above 5 MeV, pair production starts originally bound the electron to the atom to dominate. (binding energy). The photoelectric effect is the dominant energy transfer mechanism for X-ray and gamma ray photons with energies below 50 keV (thousand electron volts), but it is much less important at higher energies. Compton scattering: This is an interaction in which an incident gamma photon loses enough energy to an atomic electron to cause its ejection, with the remainder of the original photon's energy emitted as a new, lower energy gamma photon whose emission direction is different from that of the incident gamma photon, hence the term "scattering". The probability of Compton scattering decreases with increasing photon energy. Compton scattering is thought to be the principal absorption mechanism for gamma rays in the intermediate energy range 100 keV to 10 MeV. Compton scattering is relatively independent of the atomic number of the absorbing material, which is why very dense materials like lead are only modestly better shields, on a per weight basis, than are less dense materials. Pair production: This becomes possible with gamma energies exceeding 1.02 MeV, and becomes important as an absorption mechanism at energies over 5 MeV (see illustration at right, for lead). By interaction with the electric field of a nucleus, the energy of the incident photon is converted into the mass of an electron-positron pair. Any gamma energy in excess of the equivalent rest mass of the two particles (totaling at least 1.02 MeV)

Gamma ray appears as the kinetic energy of the pair and in the recoil of the emitting nucleus. At the end of the positron's range, it combines with a free electron, and the two annihilate, and the entire mass of these two is then converted into two gamma photons of at least 0.51 MeV energy each (or higher according to the kinetic energy of the annihilated particles). The secondary electrons (and/or positrons) produced in any of these three processes frequently have enough energy to produce much ionization themselves.

Light interaction
High-energy (from 80 to 500 GeV) gamma rays arriving from far-distant quasars are used to estimate the extragalactic background light in the universe: The highest-energy rays interact more readily with the background light photons and thus the density of the background light may be estimated by analyzing the incoming gamma ray spectrums.[15]

Gamma ray production

Gamma rays can be produced by a wide range of phenomena, both nuclear and non-nuclear. Radioactive decay (gamma decay) Gamma rays from radioactive gamma decay are produced alongside other forms of radiation such as alpha or beta, and are produced after the other types of decay occur. The mechanism is that when a nucleus emits an or particle, the daughter nucleus is usually left in an excited state. It can then move to a lower energy state by emitting a gamma ray, in much the same way that an atomic electron can jump to a lower energy state by emitting a photon. Emission of a gamma ray from an excited nuclear state typically requires only 1012 seconds, and is thus nearly instantaneous. Gamma decay from excited states may also follow nuclear reactions such as neutron capture, nuclear fission, or nuclear fusion. In certain cases, the excited nuclear state following the emission of a beta particle may be more stable than average, and is termed a metastable excited state, if its decay is 100 to 1000 times longer than the average 1012 seconds. Such nuclei have half-lives that are easily measurable, and are termed nuclear isomers. Some nuclear isomers are able to stay in their excited state for minutes, hours, days, or occasionally far longer, before emitting a gamma ray. Isomeric transition is the name given to a gamma decay from such a state. The process of isomeric transition is therefore similar to any gamma emission, but differs in that it involves the intermediate metastable excited states of the nuclei. An emitted gamma ray from any type of excited state may transfer its energy directly to one of the most tightly bound electrons causing it to be ejected from the atom, a process termed the photoelectric effect (it should not be confused with the internal conversion process, in which no real gamma ray photon is produced as an intermediate particle).

Gamma ray

Gamma rays, X-rays, visible light, and radio waves are all forms of electromagnetic radiation. The only difference is the frequency and hence the energy of those photons. Gamma rays are generally the most energetic of these, although broad overlap with X-ray energies occurs. An example of gamma ray production follows: First 60Co decays to excited 60Ni by beta decay by emission of an electron of 0.31 MeV. Then the excited 60Ni drops down to the ground state (see nuclear shell model) by emitting two gamma rays in succession (1.17 MeV then 1.33 MeV). This path is followed 99.88% of the time:
Decay scheme of 60Co

60 27Co

60

+ e + + + 1.17MeV

28Ni*

e
+ + 1.33MeV

60 60 28Ni* 28Ni

Another example is the alpha decay of 241Am to form 237Np; this alpha decay is accompanied by gamma emission. In some cases, the gamma emission spectrum for a nucleus (daughter nucleus) is quite simple, (e.g. 60Co/60Ni) while in other cases, such as with (241Am/237Np and 192Ir/192Pt), the gamma emission spectrum is complex, revealing that a series of nuclear energy levels can exist. The fact that an alpha spectrum can have a series of different peaks with different energies reinforces the idea that several nuclear energy levels are possible. Because a beta decay is accompanied by the emission of a neutrino which also carries energy away, the beta spectrum does not have sharp lines, but instead has a broad peak. Hence from beta decay alone it is not possible to probe the different energy levels found in the nucleus. In optical spectroscopy, it is well known that an entity which emits light can also absorb light at the same wavelength (photon energy). For instance, a sodium flame can emit yellow light as well as absorb the yellow light from another sodium vapor lamp. In the case of gamma rays, this can be seen in Mssbauer spectroscopy. Here, a correction for the Doppler shift due to recoil of the nucleus usually is not required, since the emitting and absorbing atoms are locked into a crystal, which absorbs their momentum (see Mssbauer effect). In this way, the exact conditions for gamma ray absorption through resonance can be attained. This is similar to the Franck Condon effects seen in optical spectroscopy.

Gamma ray Gamma rays from sources other than radioactive decay A few gamma rays in astronomy are known to arise from gamma decay (see discussion of SN1987A) but most do not. Gamma radiation, like X-radiation, can be produced by a variety of phenomena. When high-energy gamma rays, electrons, or protons bombard materials, the excited atoms within emit characteristic "secondary" gamma rays, which are products of the temporary creation of excited nuclear states in the bombarded atoms (such transitions form a topic in nuclear spectroscopy). Such gamma rays are produced by the nucleus, but not as a result of nuclear excitement from radioactive decay. Energy in the gamma radiation range, often explicitly called gamma-radiation when it comes from astrophysical sources, is also produced by sub-atomic particle and particle-photon interactions. These include electron-positron annihilation, neutral pion decay, bremsstrahlung, inverse Compton scattering and synchrotron radiation. Terrestrial thunderstorms. In a terrestrial gamma-ray flash a brief pulse of gamma radiation can occur in the Earth's atmosphere, inside thunderstorms. These gamma rays are thought to be produced by high intensity static electric fields accelerating electrons, which then produce gamma rays by bremsstrahlung as they collide with and are slowed by atoms in the atmosphere. Gamma rays up to 100 MeV can be emitted by terrestrial thunderstorms, as first discovered by space-borne The red dots show some of the ~500 terrestrial observatories. Current theories hold that the strong electric gamma-ray flashes daily detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope through 2010. Credit: fields within thunderclouds unleash avalanches of electrons that NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. reach relativistic speeds before colliding with air molecules to release powerful gamma rays. This raises the possibility of health risks to passengers and crew on aircraft flying in or near thunderclouds.[16] High energy gamma rays in astronomy include the gamma ray background produced when cosmic rays (either high speed electrons or protons) interact with ordinary matter, producing pair-production gamma rays at 511 keV. Alternatively bremsstrahlung at energies of tens of MeV or more are produced when cosmic ray electrons interact with nuclei of sufficiently high atomic number (see gamma ray image of the Moon at the beginning of this article, for illustration). Pulsars and magnetars. The gamma ray sky (see illustration at right) is dominated by the more common and longer-term production of gamma rays in beams that emanate from pulsars within the Milky Way. Sources from the rest of the sky are mostly quasars. Pulsars are thought to be neutron stars with magnetic fields that produce focused beams of radiation, and are far less energetic, more common, and much nearer (typically seen only in our own galaxy) than are quasars or the rarer sources of gamma ray bursts. In a pulsar, which produces gamma rays for much longer than a burst, the relatively

Image of entire sky in 100 MeV or greater gamma rays as seen by the EGRET instrument aboard the CGRO spacecraft. Bright spots within the galactic plane are pulsars while those above and below the plane are thought to be quasars.

Gamma ray long-lived magnetic field of the pulsar produces focused beams of relativistic speed charged particles, which produce gamma rays (bremsstrahlung) when these charged particles strike gas or dust in the nearby medium, and are decelerated. This is a similar mechanism to the production of high energy photons in megavoltage radiation therapy machines (see bremsstrahlung). The "inverse Compton effect", in which charged particles (usually electrons) scatter from low-energy photons to convert them to higher energy photons is another possible mechanism of gamma ray production from relativistic charged particle beams. Neutron stars with a very high magnetic field (magnetars) are thought to produce astronomical soft gamma repeaters, which are another relatively long-lived star-powered source of gamma radiation. Quasars and active galaxies. More powerful gamma rays from more distant quasars and active nearby galaxies probably have a roughly similar linear particle accelerator-like method of gamma ray production. High energy electrons produced by the quasar, followed again by inverse Compton scattering, synchrotron radiation, or bremsstrahlung, likely produce the gamma rays. As the black hole at the center of such galaxies intermittantly destroys stars and focuses charged particles derived from them into beams, these beams interact with gas, dust, and lower energy photons to produce X-ray and gamma ray radiation. These sources are known to fluctuate with durations of a few weeks, indicating their relatively small size (less than a few light-weeks across). The particle beams emerge from the rotatational poles of the supermassive black hole at a galactic center, which is thought to form the power source of the quasar. Such sources of gamma and X-rays are the most commonly visible high intensity sources outside our own galaxy, since they shine not as bursts (see illustration), but instead relatively continuously when viewed with gamma ray telescopes. The power of a typical quasar is about 1040 watts, of which only a small fraction is emitted as gamma radiation, and much of the rest is emitted as electromagnetic waves at all frequencies, including radio waves. Gamma-ray bursts. The most intense sources of gamma rays known, are also the most intense sources of any type of electromagnetic radiation presently known. They are rare compared with the sources discussed above. These intense sources are the "long duration burst" sources of gamma rays in astronomy ("long" in this context, meaning a few tens of seconds). By contrast, "short" gamma ray bursts, which are not associated with supernovae, are thought to produce gamma rays during the collision of pairs of neutron stars, or a A hypernova. Artist's illustration showing the life of a massive star as nuclear fusion converts lighter elements into heavier ones. When fusion no longer neutron star and black hole after they generates enough pressure to counteract gravity, the star rapidly collapses to form a spiral toward each other by emission of black hole. Theoretically, energy may be released during the collapse along the gravitational waves; such bursts last two axis of rotation to form a long duration gamma-ray burst. seconds or less, and are of far lower energy than the "long" bursts (they are often seen only in our own galaxy for this reason).[17] The so-called long-duration gamma ray bursts produce events in which energies of ~ 1044 joules (as much energy as our Sun will produce in its entire life-time) but over a period of only 20 to 40 seconds, accompanied by high-efficiency conversion to gamma rays (on the order of 50% total energy conversion). The leading hypotheses for the mechanism of production of these highest-known intensity beams of radiation, are inverse Compton scattering and synchrotron radiation production of gamma rays from high-energy charged particles. These processes occur as relativistic charged particles leaving the region near the event horizon of the newly formed black hole during the

10

Gamma ray supernova explosion, and focused for a few tens of seconds into a relativistic beam by the magnetic field of the exploding hypernova. The fusion explosion of the hypernova drives the energetics of the process. If the narrowly directed beam happens to be pointed toward the Earth, it shines with high gamma ray power even at distances of up to 10 billion light yearsclose to the edge of the visible universe.

11

Health effects
All ionizing radiation causes similar damage at a cellular level, but because rays of alpha particles and beta particles are relatively non-penetrating, external exposure to them causes only localized damage, e.g. radiation burns to the skin. Gamma rays and neutrons are more penetrating, causing diffuse damage throughout the body (e.g. radiation sickness, cell's DNA damage, cell death due to damaged DNA, increasing incidence of cancer) rather than burns. External radiation exposure should also be distinguished from internal exposure, due to ingested or inhaled radioactive substances, which, depending on the substance's chemical nature, can produce both diffuse and localized internal damage. The most biological damaging forms of gamma radiation occur in the gamma ray window, between 3 and 10 MeV. See cobalt-60.

Uses
Gamma rays travel to Earth across vast distances of the universe, only to be absorbed by Earth's atmosphere. Different wavelengths of light penetrate Earth's atmosphere to different depths. Instruments aboard high-altitude balloons and such satellites as the Compton Observatory provide our only view of the gamma spectrum sky. Gamma-induced molecular changes can also be used to alter the properties of semi-precious stones, and is often used to change white topaz into blue topaz.

Gamma-ray image of a truck with two stowaways taken with a VACIS (vehicle and container imaging system)

Non-contact industrial sensors used in the Refining, Mining, Chemical, Food, Soaps and Detergents, and Pulp and Paper industries, in applications measuring levels, density, and thicknesses commonly use sources of gamma. Typically these use Co-60 or Cs-137 isotopes as the radiation source. In the US, gamma ray detectors are beginning to be used as part of the Container Security Initiative (CSI). These US$5 million machines are advertised to scan 30 containers per hour. The objective of this technique is to screen merchant ship containers before they enter US ports. Gamma radiation is often used to kill living organisms, in a process called irradiation. Applications of this include sterilizing medical equipment (as an alternative to autoclaves or chemical means), removing decay-causing bacteria from many foods or preventing fruit and vegetables from sprouting to maintain freshness and flavor. Despite their cancer-causing properties, gamma rays are also used to treat some types of cancer, since the rays kill cancer cells also. In the procedure called gamma-knife surgery, multiple concentrated beams of gamma rays are directed on the growth in order to kill the cancerous cells. The beams are aimed from different angles to concentrate the radiation on the growth while minimizing damage to surrounding tissues. Gamma rays are also used for diagnostic purposes in nuclear medicine in imaging techniques. A number of different gamma-emitting radioisotopes are used. For example, in a PET scan a radiolabled sugar called fludeoxyglucose emits positrons that are converted to pairs of gamma rays that localize cancer (which often takes up more sugar than other surrounding tissues). The most common gamma emitter used in medical applications is the nuclear isomer technetium-99m which emits gamma rays in the same energy range as diagnostic X-rays. When this radionuclide tracer is administered to a patient, a gamma camera can be used to form an image of the radioisotope's distribution by detecting the gamma radiation emitted (see also SPECT). Depending on what molecule has been labeled with the tracer, such techniques can be employed to diagnose a wide range of conditions (for example, the spread of cancer to

Gamma ray the bones in a bone scan).

12

Body response
When gamma radiation breaks DNA molecules, a cell may be able to repair the damaged genetic material, within limits. However, a study of Rothkamm and Lobrich has shown that this repair process works well after high-dose exposure but is much slower in the case of a low-dose exposure.[18]

Risk assessment
The natural outdoor exposure in Great Britain ranges from 2 to 4 nSv/h (nanosieverts per hour).[19] Natural exposure to gamma rays is about 1 to 2 mSv per year, and the average total amount of radiation received in one year per inhabitant in the USA is 3.6 mSv.[20] There is a small increase in the dose, due to naturally occurring gamma radiation, around small particles of high atomic number materials in the human body caused by the photoelectric effect.[21] By comparison, the radiation dose from chest radiography (about 0.06 mSv) is a fraction of the annual naturally occurring background radiation dose,.[22] A chest CT delivers 5 to 8 mSv. A whole-body PET/CT scan can deliver 14 to 32 mSv depending on the protocol.[23] The dose from fluoroscopy of the stomach is much higher, approximately 50 mSv (14 times the annual yearly background). An acute full-body equivalent single exposure dose of 1 Sv (1000 mSv) causes slight blood changes, but 2.03.5 Sv (2.03.5 Gy) causes very severe syndrome of nausea, hair loss, and hemorrhaging, and will cause death in a sizable number of cases-about 10% to 35% without medical treatment. A dose of 5 Sv[24] (5 Gy) is considered approximately the LD50 (lethal dose for 50% of exposed population) for an acute exposure to radiation even with standard medical treatment. A dose higher than 5 Sv (5 Gy) brings an increasing chance of death above 50%. Above 7.510 Sv (7.510 Gy) to the entire body, even extraordinary treatment, such as bone-marrow transplants, will not prevent the death of the individual exposed (see Radiation poisoning).. (Doses much larger than this may, however, be delivered to selected parts of the body in the course of radiation therapy.) For low dose exposure, for example among nuclear workers, who receive an average yearly radiation dose of 19 mSv, the risk of dying from cancer (excluding leukemia) increases by 2 percent. For a dose of 100 mSv, that risk increase is at 10 percent. By comparison, risk of dying from cancer was increased by 32 percent for the survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[25]

Gamma Rays in the media

The Incredible Hulk is a comic and a movie made by Marvel. The Hulk was exposed to a gamma ray which affected him medically, physically and mentally. Because of this, when he gets angry, he turns into a strong, aggressive, green monster.

References
[1] P. Villard (1900) "Sur la rflexion et la rfraction des rayons cathodiques et des rayons dviables du radium," (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=W1oDAAAAYAAJ& pg=PA1010) Comptes rendus, vol. 130, pages 1010-1012. See also: P. Villard (1900) "Sur le rayonnement du radium," (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=W1oDAAAAYAAJ& pg=PA1179) Comptes rendus, vol. 130, pages 1178-1179. [2] L'Annunziata, Michael F. (2007). Radioactivity: introduction and history. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier BV. pp.5558. ISBN978-0-444-52715-8. [3] Rutherford named rays on page 177 of: E. Rutherford (1903) "The magnetic and electric deviation of the easily absorbed rays from radium," (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=otXPAAAAMAAJ& pg=PA177#v=onepage& q& f=false) Philosophical Magazine, Series 6, vol. 5, no. 26, pages 177-187. [4] "Gamma Rays" (http:/ / missionscience. nasa. gov/ ems/ 12_gammarays. html). . [5] Aharonian, F.; Akhperjanian, A.; Barrio, J.; Bernlohr, K.; Borst, H.; Bojahr, H.; Bolz, O.; Contreras, J. et al. (2001). "The TeV Energy Spectrum of Markarian 501 Measured with the Stereoscopic Telescope System of HEGRA during 1998 and 1999". The Astrophysical Journal

Gamma ray
546 (2): 898. Bibcode2001ApJ...546..898A. doi:10.1086/318321. [6] Dendy, P. P.; B. Heaton (1999). Physics for Diagnostic Radiology (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=1BTQvsQIs4wC& pg=PA12). USA: CRC Press. p.12. ISBN0-7503-0591-6. . [7] Charles Hodgman, Ed. (1961). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 44th Ed.. USA: Chemical Rubber Co.. p.2850. [8] Feynman, Richard; Robert Leighton, Matthew Sands (1963). The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Vol.1. USA: Addison-Wesley. pp.25. ISBN0-201-02116-1. [9] L'Annunziata, Michael; Mohammad Baradei (2003). Handbook of Radioactivity Analysis (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=b519e10OPT0C& pg=PA58). Academic Press. p.58. ISBN0-12-436603-1. . [10] Grupen, Claus; G. Cowan, S. D. Eidelman, T. Stroh (2005). Astroparticle Physics. Springer. p.109. ISBN3-540-25312-2. [11] "CGRO SSC >> EGRET Detection of Gamma Rays from the Moon" (http:/ / heasarc. gsfc. nasa. gov/ docs/ cgro/ epo/ news/ gammoon. html). Heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov. 2005-08-01. . Retrieved 2011-11-08. [12] "Bremsstrahlung radiation" is "braking radiation", but "acceleration" is being used here in the specific sense of the deflection of an electron from its course: Serway, Raymond A; et al (2009). College Physics. Belmont, CA: Brooks Cole. p.876. ISBN978-0-03-023798-0. [13] Shaw, R. W.; Young, J. P.; Cooper, S. P.; Webb, O. F. (1999). "Spontaneous Ultraviolet Emission from 233Uranium/229Thorium Samples". Physical Review Letters 82 (6): 11091111. Bibcode1999PhRvL..82.1109S. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.1109. [14] "Gamma-Ray Telescopes & Detectors" (http:/ / imagine. gsfc. nasa. gov/ docs/ science/ how_l2/ gamma_detectors. html). NASA GSFC. . Retrieved 2011-11-22. [15] Bock, R. K.; et al (2008-06-27). "Very-High-Energy Gamma Rays from a Distant Quasar: How Transparent Is the Universe?". Science 320 (5884): pp 17521754. arXiv:0807.2822. Bibcode2008Sci...320.1752M. doi:10.1126/science.1157087. ISSN0036-8075. PMID18583607. [16] Dwyer, Joseph; David M. Smith (August 2012). "Deadly Rays From Clouds". Scientific American 307 (2): 5559. [17] (http:/ / www. nasa. gov/ mission_pages/ swift/ bursts/ short_burst_oct5. html) Announcement of first close study of a short gamma-ray burst. [18] Rothkamm, K; Lbrich, M (2003). "Evidence for a lack of DNA double-strand break repair in human cells exposed to very low x-ray doses". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 100 (9): 505762. Bibcode2003PNAS..100.5057R. doi:10.1073/pnas.0830918100. PMC154297. PMID12679524. [19] Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) UK Key facts about radioactivity (http:/ / www. defra. gov. uk/ evidence/ statistics/ environment/ radioact/ kf/ rakf03. htm), 2003 [20] United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation Annex E: Medical radiation exposures Sources and Effects of Ionizing 1993, p. 249, New York, UN [21] Pattison, J. E.; Hugtenburg, R. P.; Green, S. (2009). "Enhancement of natural background gamma-radiation dose around uranium microparticles in the human body". Journal of the Royal Society Interface 7 (45): 603. doi:10.1098/rsif.2009.0300. [22] US National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements NCRP Report No. 93 pp 5355, 1987. Bethesda, Maryland, USA, NCRP [23] "PET/CT total radiation dose calculations. Accessed June 23, 2011." (http:/ / radiology. rsna. org/ content/ 251/ 1/ 166. full. pdf) (PDF). . Retrieved 2011-11-08. [24] "Lethal dose" (http:/ / www. nrc. gov/ reading-rm/ basic-ref/ glossary/ lethal-dose-ld. html), NRC Glossary (October 18, 2011) [25] IARC Cancer risk following low doses of ionizing radiation a 15-country study http:/ / www. iarc. fr/ ENG/ Units/ RCAa1. html

13

External links
Basic reference on several types of radiation (http://www.rerf.or.jp/general/whatis_e/index.html) Radiation Q & A (http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/radiation) GCSE information (http://www.gcsechemistry.com/pwav46.htm) Radiation information (http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf) Gamma ray bursts (http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~ejb/faq.html) The Lund/LBNL Nuclear Data Search (http://nucleardata.nuclear.lu.se/NuclearData/toi/) Contains information on gamma-ray energies from isotopes. Mapping soils with airborne detectors (http://grapevine.com.au/~pbeirwirth/gamma.html) The LIVEChart of Nuclides IAEA (http://www-nds.iaea.org/livechart) with filter on gamma-ray

energy Health Physics Society Public Education Website (http://www.radiationanswers.org)

Article Sources and Contributors

14

Article Sources and Contributors

Gamma ray Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=536092327 Contributors: 08stones a, 10metreh, 194.238.50.xxx, 216.237.32.xxx, 2wingo, A Softer Answer, A. di M., ARTE, Aarchiba, Aaron Brenneman, AbsolutDan, Adamrush, Addihockey10, AdjustShift, Afed, Ahoerstemeier, Aitias, AjAldous, Ajs618592, Alansohn, Alexius08, Alfio, Algebra, Almazi, Anaxial, Anclation, Andre Engels, Andres, Anetode, Anger-Cola, Animedude360, Anjow, Anna Lincoln, Anonymous Dissident, Antandrus, Anwar saadat, Archer3, Ariel., ArielGold, Arjun01, Astrobradley, AubreyEllenShomo, Auntof6, Axecution, Baa, Babdi, Bachrach44, Bangvang, Beathovn, Bejinhan, Bemoeial, Besselfunctions, Beth292, Bidabadi, Blaise170, Blanchardb, Blue520, Bobo192, Boccobrock, BodachMor, Bonadea, Bped1985, BradBeattie, BrightStarSky, BrokenSegue, Brossow, Bryan Derksen, Bsadowski1, Bunnyhop11, Burntsauce, CWY2190, Caco de vidro, Cadiomals, Cadmium, Callanecc, Calmargulis, Caltas, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, CanadianLinuxUser, CanisRufus, Captain-tucker, Catnip67, Ceribik, ChaoticSpear, CharlesHBennett, Cheesemanthorley, Chetvorno, Chicagobears94, Chris the speller, Chrislk02, Closedmouth, Cohan, Cokaban, Complex (de), Conversion script, Corvus, Courcelles, CrazyChemGuy, Cricketseven, Csloomis, Cwkmail, DARTH SIDIOUS 2, DJX2J10, DV8 2XL, DVdm, Dabigkid, Damicatz, Damuna, Damrung, DancingMan, DanielDeibler, Danim, Dansadler47, DarkFalls, Darsie42, David Koebel, DavidMCEddy, DeadEyeArrow, Deadgood86, Deglr6328, Delldot, Deor, DerHexer, Derpstick, Devil Master, Dgw, Diannaa, Dirac66, Discospinster, Diyar se, Dlohcierekim, DocWatson42, Dogposter, Donarreiskoffer, DoubleBlue, Dougher, Dougofborg, Dougsim, DragonHawk, Drbreznjev, Dreadstar, Dreamster, Dreish, Dumelow, Duncharris, Duras2000, Dusty777, Dvc214, DynamoDegsy, E0steven, Eastlaw, Edward, El C, Electron9, Elijah14, Elockid, EmilTyf, Emperorbma, Epbr123, Eras-mus, Eric-Wester, Evelhal, Evenios, Exir Kamalabadi, FF2010, Fabrictramp, Falcon8765, Favonian, Femto, Ferkelparade, Fest3er, Fieldday-sunday, Fishtorte, Fkbreitl, Floaterfluss, Floul1, Flyguy649, Fmicheau, Foofish, Fornost, FourBlades, Francismole, Frankie0607, Freerad, Fvw, Gary King, Gene Nygaard, Get down with the trumpets, Giftlite, Gilderien, Gilliam, Glacialfox, Glacier Wolf, Gogo Dodo, Golbez, Goldom, GorillaWarfare, Gracenotes, Graeme Bartlett, GraemeL, Graham87, GreenGourd, GregorB, Grillo7, Grm wnr, Groudon185, Gunblade, Gyrocompa, HPaul, Haham hanuka, Haloman1013, Haza-w, Headbomb, HenryLi, Herbee, HexaChord, HorsePunchKid, House13, Hqb, IRP, IanOsgood, Icairns, Icek, Illythr, Imjustmatthew, Immunize, InformationalAnarchist, Inkling, Iridescent, Itub, Ixfd64, J.delanoy, JDspeeder1, JForget, JKBrooks85, JNW, JSpudeman, Jab843, Jack Greenmaven, Jack Phoenix, JaderVason, Jakohn, JamesAM, JamesBWatson, Javit, Jay Litman, Jcc77, Jeff G., Jehochman, Jersyko, Jerzy, Jheald, Jheriko, Jim1138, Jimbo727, Jjeeppyy, Jko, Joanjoc, JohnOwens, Jonathanjouty, Jonverve, Jordanator777, Joshcad85, Joshua hykes, Julle, Jumping cheese, JunCTionS, Jusdafax, Jrgen Friis Bak, Ka Faraq Gatri, Kariteh, Karol Langner, Katana0182, Kdliss, Keenan Pepper, Keilana, Kernow, Ketiltrout, Khaosworks, King of Hearts, Kingpin13, Kirkpthompson, KitemanSA, KlausMontero, Klausness, Klilidiplomus, KnowledgeOfSelf, Kotuku33, Krashlandon, Kukini, Kwikwag, Landyvin, Larek, Larryisgood, Lavateraguy, Law, Lazulilasher, Leon II, LiDaobing, Light current, Likopinnn, LilHelpa, LittleOldMe old, Lkwisaac, Logan, Lokicarbis, Lopiuytrewq, Lopiuytrewqas, Lopokoko, LorenzoB, LtNOWIS, Lunarsurface, M.O.X, M.a.Padmanabha Rao, MER-C, MGoers37, Machine123, Madhero88, MagiMaster, Malcolm Farmer, Mandarax, Marek69, Mark91, Marminnetje, Marshallsumter, Martinp23, Mashford, Materialscientist, Mav, Mcat2, Mdf, Meegs, Mervyn, Mgiganteus1, Michael A. White, Michael Hardy, Micklord, Mikr18, Milesisgreat, Minivip, Mocirne, Modify, Molerat, Momus, Monty845, MoogleFan, Moretto, Mortense, MrKris, Mrinsanity, Mrwhizzard, Mud4t, Muigi2, Nagy, Naturespace, Naudefj, NawlinWiki, Neo139, Nepenthes, NerdyScienceDude, Nescio sed Scio, NewEnglandYankee, Niceguyedc, Nigholith, Nilfanion, Nivix, No Guru, Nsaa, Nyxaus, Ocollard, Ohms law, Okiefromokla (old), Old Moonraker, Oleg Alexandrov, Omicronpersei8, Onceonthisisland, Oneiros, Ongar the World-Weary, Orangemike, Originalwana, Orionus, Ortensia, Oxymoron83, PVSpud, Pabix, PacMan, PandaSaver, Patrick, Paul D. Anderson, Pcb21, Pearle, Pennyforth, PeterSymonds, Peterl, Peterlin, Phantomsteve, Pharaoh of the Wizards, Philip Trueman, Philip bier, Piano non troppo, Pinethicket, Pjacobi, Pol098, Polonium, Portalian, Praetonia, Prometheusg, Pstudier, Pterantula, QaBobAllah, Quadell, QuantumEngineer, Qutezuce, Qwertyuiopasdfgb, RMB1987, RTC, RadXman, RadicalOne, Radon210, Random user 39849958, Reaper Eternal, Redhanker, Redvers, Rettens2, Rgoodermote, Rhobite, Riana, Rich Farmbrough, Rickremember, Rjwilmsi, Rlupsa, Roadrunner, Rod57, RodC, Rondey.Cordova, RoyBoy, Rsrikanth05, Ruzmutuz, Rwalker, Rwflammang, Ryaguy1234, Ryan Vesey, RyanJones, Ryulong, S11114, S11238, SD5, SEWilco, Saebjorn, Sam Hocevar, Sam Korn, Sander123, Sbharris, Sceptre, Sciurin, Seanwal111111, Sergiacid, Servicemonkey, Sestet, Sfahey, Shadowjams, Shannonzhu, ShaunES, Sheliak, Shibboleth, Shirik, Siafu, Sidasta, Sionus, Sir Intellegence, Sjakkalle, Sjodenenator, Skamecrazy123, Skippy le Grand Gourou, Sklei0106, Skooma2112, SkyLined, Slash, Some jerk on the Internet, Sonett72, Soosed, Spartan-James, Spencemac724, Spiff, Spitfire, Ssundell, Stargun1000, StaticGull, SteinbDJ, StephenBuxton, Stephenb, Stevertigo, StradivariusTV, Strait, Stran, Super-Magician, SuperGerbil, Swpb, Talon Artaine, Tarotcards, Teay4012, Template namespace initialisation script, TexasAndroid, Thanos777, ThatGuy1212, The Anome, The High Fin Sperm Whale, The Rambling Man, The Thing That Should Not Be, The sunder king, TheNewPhobia, Theresa knott, Thewtfchronicles, Thingg, Thunderbird2, Tide rolls, Timberthedude, Timsdad, Tintin1107, Tiptoety, Titoxd, Tjcronan, Tom Lougheed, Tomlillis, Tone, Tonyr68uk, Topquark22, Tpikonen, Tregoweth, Trelvis, Trendanny, Trentrockport, Triwbe, Trusilver, Tungsten, TutterMouse, Twistedphoton, Uncle Dick, Usp, Utcursch, Vanished user 39948282, Vejet, Velella, Venny85, Versus22, Vidalmadjar, VincentHermon, Vishnava, Viskonsas, Vsmith, W.D., Wabernat, Wayne Slam, Wdflake, Weedwhacker128, WiiStation360, Wiki alf, WikiZorro, Wikibofh, William Avery, Wiryrocketeer, Woohookitty, Woudloper, Wywin, Xanzzibar, Xaonon, Xendarq, Xompanthy, Xxjennxx, Yakovy, Yalbik, Yintan, Ytny, Ytrottier, Yyy, Zaphraud, Zedshort, Zendonut, Zntrip, ZooFari, 1364 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

File:Gamma Decay.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gamma_Decay.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Inductiveload File:Operation Upshot-Knothole - Badger 001.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Operation_Upshot-Knothole_-_Badger_001.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Federal Government of the United States File:NASA's Fermi Explores the Early Universe.ogv Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:NASA's_Fermi_Explores_the_Early_Universe.ogv License: Public Domain Contributors: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center File:Moon egret.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Moon_egret.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Magog the Ogre, Marshallsumter, Ruslik0 File:Al-gamma-xs.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Al-gamma-xs.svg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:Joshua hykes File:Pb-gamma-xs.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Pb-gamma-xs.svg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:Joshua hykes File:Cobalt-60 Decay Scheme.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Cobalt-60_Decay_Scheme.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Inductiveload File:Antimatter Explosions.ogv Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Antimatter_Explosions.ogv License: Public Domain Contributors: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center File:Egret all sky gamma ray map from CGRO spacecraft.gif Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Egret_all_sky_gamma_ray_map_from_CGRO_spacecraft.gif License: Public Domain Contributors: NASA File:Gamma ray burst.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gamma_ray_burst.jpg License: Attribution Contributors: Nicolle Rager Fuller of the NSF File:VACIS Gamma-ray Image with stowaways.GIF Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:VACIS_Gamma-ray_Image_with_stowaways.GIF License: Public Domain Contributors: Collected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection a bureau of the United States Department of Homeland Security File:Ndslivechart.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ndslivechart.png License: Public Domain Contributors: Minivip

License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported //creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/