internal conversion

physics

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June 29, 2026

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Internal conversion is a process where an unstable atomic nucleus releases excess energy by transferring it directly to one of its orbiting electrons. This causes the electron to be ejected from the atom. It is one of the electromagnetic processes by which gamma decay can occur, alongside gamma emission and internal pair production. While gamma emission releases energy as photons (gamma rays), internal conversion transfers that energy to an electron. This process always accompanies gamma emission to some extent, with some nuclei decaying via gamma emission and others via internal conversion.12

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gamma decay
…includes two other electromagnetic processes, internal conversion and internal pair production. In internal conversion, excess energy in a nucleus is directly transferred to one of its own orbiting electrons, thereby ejecting the electron from the atom. In internal pair production, excess energy is directly converted within the electromagnetic field of…
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…includes two other electromagnetic processes, internal conversion and internal pair production. In internal conversion, excess energy in a nucleus is directly transferred to one of its own orbiting electrons, thereby ejecting the electron from the atom. In internal pair production, excess energy is directly converted within the electromagnetic field of…
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radioactivity
Gamma decay
…electron ejection is known as internal conversion and gives rise to an energetic electron and often an X-ray as the atomic cloud fills in the empty orbital of the ejected electron. The ratio of internal conversion to the alternative gamma emission is called the internal-conversion coefficient.)
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…electron ejection is known as internal conversion and gives rise to an energetic electron and often an X-ray as the atomic cloud fills in the empty orbital of the ejected electron. The ratio of internal conversion to the alternative gamma emission is called the internal-conversion coefficient.)
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