Gamma rays are the highest energy form of light, more powerful than X-rays, and can easily penetrate metal objects or concrete walls. Gamma rays can be produced by stellar explosions, mutual annihilation of positive and negative electrons, or decay of radioactive atoms.

1.The name "Gamma Ray" comes from Ernest Rutherford

In 1900, French chemist Paul Villard first discovered gamma rays from the decay products of radium. However, its name was coined by the renowned New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford.
When scientists first studied the decay phenomenon of atomic nuclei, they identified three types of radiation based on how far radiation can penetrate lead barriers. Rutherford named these three rays using the first three letters of the Greek alphabet. When encountering a lead barrier, alpha rays will be bounced open, beta rays will penetrate a bit, and gamma rays can penetrate deeper. Today, we know that alpha rays are helium nuclei (two protons and two neutrons), beta rays are electrons or positrons, and gamma rays are a type of light.

2. There are gamma ray bursts in deep space

When an unstable uranium nucleus undergoes nuclear fission, it releases a large amount of gamma rays. The nuclear reactors and warheads used for power generation are all manufactured based on nuclear fission. In the 1960s, the United States launched gamma ray detection satellites to monitor global nuclear tests. They discovered far more 'nuclear explosions' than expected. Astronomers eventually realized that these explosions did not come from nuclear tests conducted by countries such as the Soviet Union, but from deep space in the universe. They are named gamma ray bursts.
Today we know that there are two types of gamma ray bursts. One type is produced when a massive star explodes. Another type is generated when a neutron star collides with something else, and the object of the collision may be another neutron star or a black hole.

3.To study gamma ray bursts, astronomers need to use space telescopes

Gamma rays emitted from space towards Earth collide with molecules in the atmosphere. This makes it almost impossible for gamma rays to reach the surface of the Earth. This is actually a good thing because we can avoid being harmed by this deadly radiation.
However, for astronomers who want to study gamma ray bursts, this can be a bit troublesome. Astronomers must launch a telescope into space, and there are many challenges involved. For example, you cannot use ordinary lenses or mirrors to focus gamma rays because they will pass directly through them. Many space telescopes, such as the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope launched in 2008, use a specially designed detector to detect gamma rays. When gamma rays enter the detector, they collide with the metal target and generate electron positron pairs. The detector searches for gamma rays by detecting the generated electron pairs.

4. Some gamma rays come from thunderstorms

In the 1990s, some space telescopes detected gamma rays from Earth, which were ultimately found to come from thunderstorm clouds. Static electricity accumulates in clouds, ultimately leading to the appearance of lightning, and static electricity acts as a massive particle accelerator, creating pairs of electrons and positrons that then undergo annihilation and produce gamma rays. The origin of these gamma rays is located at high altitudes, and only passing aircraft will be "baptized" by them, which is also one of the reasons why flights need to stay away from thunderstorms.

5.Gamma rays played a crucial role in the discovery of the Higgs boson

Most subatomic particles (particles with structures smaller than atoms) are unstable, and once formed, they decay into other particles almost instantaneously. For example, the Higgs boson (also known as the 'God particle', which gives other particles mass) can decay into many different types of particles, including gamma rays. Despite theoretical predictions that the Higgs boson has only a 0.2% probability of decaying into gamma rays, the decay products are only two gamma rays, making this type of decay relatively easy to identify. In fact, when scientists first discovered the Higgs boson, they detected this type of decay.

6. Doctors can use a "Gamma Knife"

Perform brain surgery
Strong enough gamma rays can destroy biological cells, but we can also harness this destructive power. Doctors sometimes use a 'gamma knife' to destroy cancer cells or other diseased cells in the brain. This usually requires concentrating multiple gamma rays on the cells that need to be destroyed. Each beam of gamma rays has relatively small energy and is unlikely to damage healthy brain tissue. But in places where gamma rays are concentrated, powerful energy is enough to kill cancer cells.
The structure of the brain is complex and precise, and using traditional surgical knives for surgery carries high risks. The use of a "gamma knife" for surgery has lower risks because it does not require craniotomy and also has advantages such as accurate positioning and minimal damage.

7. Gamma rays (indirectly)

Bringing life to Earth
In the core of the sun, hydrogen nuclei gather together and undergo fusion. When fusion occurs, a byproduct is gamma rays. Gamma rays keep the solar core in a continuously hot state. Some gamma rays will escape to the outer layers of the sun and collide with electrons or protons, gradually losing energy. When they lose energy, they turn into ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light. Infrared radiation keeps the Earth at a suitable temperature, while visible light allows plants on Earth to carry out photosynthesis. It can be seen that life on Earth also indirectly relies on gamma rays.