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If the daughter nucleus is formed in an 'excited' state after alpha or beta emission, the nucleus moves to its ground state by emitting gamma radiation.
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Key terms in this lesson
- gamma radiation
- Ionising electromagnetic radiation emitted from the nucleus of an unstable atom, usually following alpha or beta emission.
- isotope
- An atom of the same element, with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.
More in Radioactivity
- Radioactive Tracers
- Thickness monitoring and Engine Wear
- Power Sources
- N-Z Graph
- Decay Series
- Technetium
- Electron Diffraction
- Nuclear Radius and Density
All 25 lessons in Radioactivity · All OCR A-level Physics topics