Gamma Waves- Dangerous and Helpful

If you've never before heard of gamma waves, or heard of them but not known much about them, here is the chance to learn all that you need to know. Gamma rays are the smallest waves in the Electro Magnetic Spectrum, and the frequency of their waves start at about 10 to the 18th power Hertz, and there is no upper limit to the frequency of the waves. Also, there is no lower limit to the wavelength of gamma waves, but they are usually around the length of a few tenths of 10 to the negative tenth power. There are only a few sources of natural phenomenon that can create the unique gamma waves. The most common causes known to scientists on how these waves are created include super nova explosions, destruction of atoms, and the decay of radioactive material in space. Gamma waves interact with matter in numerous different ways. In some cases, the gamma ray collides with an electron and bounce off of it, but sometimes, the gamma waves can force the electron to a new, greater energy level than it previously possessed. In addition, because of the extreme amount of energy that gamma waves possess, parts of the wave can be directly transformed into new matter.

Because of all of the energy that gamma waves have, they have many interesting and useful applications.

One way that these gamma waves can be used is to treat cancer. The energy from the waves can be used to kill cancer cells on or deep inside the body depending on how much energy they possess. Surveys of gamma radiation are used to locate uranium and thorium deposits found inside the earth, and they can also be used for geologic mapping and mineral exploration deep inside the Earth's crust. Gamma waves provide many applications that are considered more advanced than other wave types because of their extraordinary amount of energy.

One of the most interesting

phenomena related with gamma waves is called a gamma wave burst. The picture to the right is an artists representation of what a gamma ray burst would look like. These bursts normally take place for a few milliseconds and hundredths of seconds, but occasionally a gamma wave burst will last for a couple seconds. These bursts occur daily, and the energy they posses is massive. The energy released from 10 seconds of a gamma wave bursts is more energy than the sun will produce over it's lifetime. The burst produces a shine can be up to millions of trillions bigger than that of the sun, and if it were possible to procure the energy that is produced in a millisecond of one of these bursts, that energy would be enough to meet the energy needs of the Earth for a hundred billion years. We are not able to see these bursts however, because the frequency of the wave is too high for our eyes to see.

With a wave that possesses so much energy comes various health issues. The energy from gamma waves is

capable of killing human cells, which is positive in the treatment of cancer, but negative in all other aspects. It is very important that infants are not exposed to gamma waves, as it can mutate the developing tissues that are found in a infants body. Gamma rays also are capable of damaging

cells in all humans, and that damage can lead to cancer as the damaged cells reproduce. If the ozone layer were to disappear, humans would be unprotected from these waves and it is predicted that all life on Earth would go extinct. The picture on the left depicts what would happen if a gamma ray burst were to hit an unprotected Earth.

Gamma waves are used extensively in the treatment of cancer and in other fields of geography, and without these minuscule waves formed by super nova explosions and radioactive decay, the technology used to accomplish tasks in the fields of science and geographic mapping wouldn't be as it is today. If only we could find a way to harness the energy found in a gamma wave burst, our energy issues would be solved for billions of years.

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