The intensity of gamma rays and their wavelength are related, but they describe different aspects of the radiation:
- Wavelength and Energy:
- Gamma rays have very short wavelengths.
- The energy of a gamma ray photon is inversely proportional to its wavelength. Shorter wavelength → higher energy.
- Intensity Definition:
- Intensity refers to the amount of energy passing through a unit area per unit time.
- For gamma rays, this depends on the number of photons and their individual energies.
- Relationship:
- For photons of the same number, higher-energy gamma rays (shorter wavelength) carry more energy, so the intensity is higher.
- For a fixed energy output, increasing wavelength (lower energy per photon) means more photons are needed to maintain the same intensity.
Summary:
- Shorter wavelength → higher photon energy → can increase intensity for the same number of photons.
- Intensity depends both on photon energy (related to wavelength) and photon flux (number of photons).