beta rays
Fast electron streams
Beta rays are streams of high-energy electrons or positrons emitted by certain radioactive substances during decay.
Historically called rays before their particle nature was understood, they fall between alpha rays and gamma rays in penetrating power—stopped by a thin sheet of aluminum but passing through paper.
Beta rays can cause radiation burns to skin.
- radioisotopeUnstable atomic nucleus variant
- electronNegative subatomic particle
- positronElectron's antimatter counterpart
- radioactivitySpontaneous nuclear decay
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
tracer · nuclear medicine · radiotherapy · fallout · strontium-90 · subatomic particles · particle physics · dosimetry · nuclear fission · iodine-131 · background radiation · particle accelerator · half-life · cancer treatment · tritium · electromagnetic radiation · radioactive decay · carbon-14
- radiation safetydosimeter, radiation protection, radiation shielding, lead apron, dosimeters
- radiation
- radiant energyphoton, photons, sunlight, visible light, radiance
- spectroscopyspectrum, spectrometer, spectroscope, spectrograph, spectrogram
beta raysalpha rays
Helium nuclei from decay
alpha particles · gamma rays · gamma radiation · alpha radiation · X-rays