Paul Zindel's compelling and inspirational Pulitzer Prize-winning play that was made into a motion picture directed by Paul Newman starring Joanne Woodward. The old, converted vegetable shop where Tillie lives is more like a madhouse than a home. Tillie's mother, Beatrice, is bitter and cruel, yet desperate for her daughters' love. Her sister, Ruth, suffers epileptic fits and sneaks cigarettes every chance she gets. In the midst of chaos, Tillie struggles to keep her focus and dreams alive. Tillie — keeper of rabbits, dreamer of atoms, true believer in life, hope, and the effect of gamma rays on man-in-the-moon marigolds.
A brief, cutting-edge introduction to the brightest cosmic phenomena known to science Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest—and, until recently, among the least understood—cosmic events in the universe. Discovered by chance during the cold war, these evanescent high-energy explosions confounded astronomers for decades. But a rapid series of startling breakthroughs beginning in 1997 revealed that the majority of gamma-ray bursts are caused by the explosions of young and massive stars in the vast star-forming cauldrons of distant galaxies. New findings also point to very different origins for some events, serving to complicate but enrich our understanding of the exotic and violent universe. What Are Gamma-Ray Bursts? is a succinct introduction to this fast-growing subject, written by an astrophysicist who is at the forefront of today's research into these incredible cosmic phenomena. Joshua Bloom gives readers a concise and accessible overview of gamma-ray bursts and the theoretical framework that physicists have developed to make sense of complex observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. He traces the history of remarkable discoveries that led to our current understanding of gamma-ray bursts, and reveals the decisive role these phenomena could play in the grand pursuits of twenty-first century astrophysics, from studying gravity waves and unveiling the growth of stars and galaxies after the big bang to surmising the ultimate fate of the universe itself. What Are Gamma-Ray Bursts? is an essential primer to this exciting frontier of scientific inquiry, and a must-read for anyone seeking to keep pace with cutting-edge developments in physics today.
This is an insightful book based on the study of electromagnetic radiations. It throws light on the characteristics and nature of gamma radiations. It also highlights the various options of gamma radiation application in fields like nuclear physics, industrial procedures, environmental science, radiation biology, radiation chemistry, agriculture and forestry, sterilization and food industry. Analysis of the pros and cons of functioning of these applications has also been discussed. The book mainly targets anyone who are engaged in any field related to gamma radiations, ranging from industrial workers and biologists to dentists and engineers and even those people who have a fascination towards this subject. Moreover, this book can also be used as a guide for diverse readers who are interested in the subject.
Gamma ray astronomy, the branch of high energy astrophysics that studies the sky in energetic ?-ray photons, is destined to play a crucial role in the exploration of nonthermal phenomena in the Universe in their most extreme and violent forms. The great potential of this discipline offers impressive coverage of many OC hot topicsOCO of modern astrophysics and cosmology, such as the origin of galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays, particle acceleration and radiation processes under extreme astrophysical conditions, and the search for dark matter."
Gamma radiation has been discovered since more than a century and contributed in many achievements in human life. Continuous developments make it necessary to have more understandings and more discussions about well-established concepts as well as newly implemented hypothesis and applications of gamma rays. This book presents new visions of gamma ray spectrometry and applications. I hope this book can present part of the useful applications of gamma rays.
After describing cosmic gamma-ray production and absorption, the instrumentation used in gamma-ray astronomy is explained. The main part of the book deals with astronomical results, including the somewhat surprising result that the gamma-ray sky is continuously changing.
Neutron-capture prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA) is particularly valuable as a non-destructive nuclear method in the measurement of elements that do not form neutron capture products with delayed gamma ray emissions. Inaccurate and incomplete data have been a significant hindrance in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of complicated capture gamma spectra by means of PGAA. This database was produced to improve the quality and quantity of required data in order to make possible the reliable application of PGAA in fields such as materials science, geology, mining, archaeology, environment, food analysis and medicine. The database provides a variety of tables for all natural elements (from H to U) including the following data: isotopic composition, thermal radiative cross-section (total and partial), Westcott g-factors, energy of the gamma rays (prompt and delayed), decay mode, half-life and branching ratios. The CD-ROM included in this publication contains the database, the retrieval system and important electronic documents related to the project.--Publisher's description.
Since their discovery was first announced in 1973, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been among the most fascination objects in the universe. While the initial mystery has gone, the fascination continues, sustained by the close connection linking GRBs with some of the most fundamental topics in modern astrophysics and cosmology. Both authors have been active in GRB observations for over two decades and have produced an outstanding account on both the history and the perspectives of GRB research.
Alpha-, Beta- and Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy Volume 1 offers a comprehensive account of radioactivity and related low-energy phenomena. It summarizes progress in the field of alpha-, beta- and gamma-ray spectroscopy, including the discovery of the non-conservation of parity, as well as new experimental methods that elucidate the processes of weak interactions in general and beta-decay in particular. Comprised of 14 chapters, the book presents experimental methods and theoretical discussions and calculations to maintain the link between experiment and theory. It begins with a discussion of the interaction of electrons and alpha particles with matter. The book explains the elastic scattering of electrons by atomic nuclei and the interaction between gamma-radiation and matter. It then introduces topic on beta-ray spectrometer theory and design and crystal diffraction spectroscopy of nuclear gamma rays. Moreover, the book discusses the applications of the scintillation counter; proportional counting in gases; and the general processes and procedures used in determining disintegration schemes through a study of the beta- and gamma-rays emitted. In addition, it covers the nuclear shell model; collective nuclear motion and the unified model; and alpha-decay conservation laws. The emissions of gamma-radiation during charged particle bombardment and from fission fragments, as well as the neutron-capture radiation spectroscopy, are also explained. Experimentalists will find this book extremely useful.
