Gamma Ray Spectrometer

Gamma Ray Spectrometer

A Gamma-Ray Spectrometer, or (GRS), is an instrument for measuring the distribution (or spectrum—see figure) of the intensity of gamma radiation versus the energy of each photon. Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation at the short-wavelength, or high-frequency, end of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum, which ranges from gamma rays (short) to radio (long). The study and analysis of gamma-ray spectra for scientific and technical use is called gamma spectroscopy, and gamma-ray spectrometers are the instruments which observe and collect such data. Because the energy of each photon of EM radiation is proportional to its frequency, gamma rays have sufficient energy that they are typically observed by counting individual photons.