Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Nuclear Transmutation03:20

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one nuclide into another. It can occur by the radioactive decay of a nucleus, or the reaction of a nucleus with another particle. The first manmade nucleus was produced in Ernest Rutherford’s laboratory in 1919 by a transmutation reaction, the bombardment of one type of nuclei with other nuclei or with neutrons. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen-14 atoms with high-speed α particles from a natural radioactive isotope of radium and observed protons being...
Types of Radioactivity03:23

Types of Radioactivity

The most common types of radioactivity are α decay, β decay, γ decay, neutron emission, and electron capture.
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:
The Electromagnetic Spectrum02:37

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum consists of all the types of electromagnetic radiation arranged according to their frequency and wavelength. Each of the various colors of visible light has specific frequencies and wavelengths associated with them, and you can see that visible light makes up only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Because the technologies developed to work in various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are different, for reasons of convenience and historical...
The Electromagnetic Spectrum01:24

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Electromagnetic waves are categorized according to their wavelengths and frequencies, giving the electromagnetic spectrum. These waves are classified as radio, infrared, ultraviolet, etc. Radio waves refer to electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from millimeters to kilometers. Radio waves are commonly used for audio communications (i.e., radios) and typically result from an alternating current in the wires of a broadcast antenna. They cover a broad wavelength range and are used...
Generating Electromagnetic Radiations01:10

Generating Electromagnetic Radiations

The German physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857–1894) was the first to generate and detect certain types of electromagnetic waves in the laboratory. Starting in 1887, he performed a series of experiments that confirmed the existence of electromagnetic waves and verified that they travel at the speed of light. Hertz used an alternating-current RLC (resistor-inductor-capacitor) circuit that resonated at a known frequency and connected it to a loop of wire. High voltages induced across the gap in the...
Nuclear Fusion02:45

Nuclear Fusion

The process of converting very light nuclei into heavier nuclei is also accompanied by the conversion of mass into large amounts of energy, a process called fusion. The principal source of energy in the sun is a net fusion reaction in which four hydrogen nuclei fuse and ultimately produce one helium nucleus and two positrons.
A helium nucleus has a mass that is 0.7% less than that of four hydrogen nuclei; this lost mass is converted into energy during the fusion. This reaction produces about...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Observation of inverse Compton emission from a long γ-ray burst.

Nature·2019
Same author

Spectroscopic identification of r-process nucleosynthesis in a double neutron-star merger.

Nature·2017
Same author

Enhanced detection of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes by AGILE.

Geophysical research letters·2016
Same author

Discovery of powerful gamma-ray flares from the Crab Nebula.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2011
Same author

Gamma-ray localization of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes.

Physical review letters·2010
Same author

Detection of gamma-ray emission from the Vela pulsar wind nebula with AGILE.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2010
Same journal

Erratum: Bacterial Turbulence at Compressible Fluid Interfaces [Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 138301 (2026)].

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Unveiling Light-Quark Yukawa Flavor Structure via Dihadron Fragmentation at Lepton Colliders.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Adaptable Route to Fast Coherent State Transport via Bang-Bang-Bang Protocols.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Topological Transition and Emergence of Elasticity of Dislocation in Skyrmion Lattice: Beyond Kittel's Magnetic-Polar Analogy.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Pound-Drever-Hall Method for Superconducting-Qubit Readout.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Coupling a ^{73}Ge Nuclear Spin to an Electrostatically Defined Quantum Dot in Silicon.

Physical review letters·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Visualization of Low-Level Gamma Radiation Sources Using a Low-Cost, High-Sensitivity, Omnidirectional Compton Camera
06:28

Visualization of Low-Level Gamma Radiation Sources Using a Low-Cost, High-Sensitivity, Omnidirectional Compton Camera

Published on: January 30, 2020

Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes as powerful particle accelerators.

M Tavani1, M Marisaldi, C Labanti

  • 1INAF-IASF Roma, via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma, Italy.

Physical Review Letters
|January 15, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are intense bursts of X-rays and gamma-rays from thunderstorms. New AGILE satellite data reveal TGFs have a power-law spectrum up to 100 MeV, challenging current models.

More Related Videos

Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies
08:34

Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies

Published on: February 6, 2019

Method for Recording Broadband High Resolution Emission Spectra of Laboratory Lightning Arcs
07:51

Method for Recording Broadband High Resolution Emission Spectra of Laboratory Lightning Arcs

Published on: August 27, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Visualization of Low-Level Gamma Radiation Sources Using a Low-Cost, High-Sensitivity, Omnidirectional Compton Camera
06:28

Visualization of Low-Level Gamma Radiation Sources Using a Low-Cost, High-Sensitivity, Omnidirectional Compton Camera

Published on: January 30, 2020

Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies
08:34

Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies

Published on: February 6, 2019

Method for Recording Broadband High Resolution Emission Spectra of Laboratory Lightning Arcs
07:51

Method for Recording Broadband High Resolution Emission Spectra of Laboratory Lightning Arcs

Published on: August 27, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Atmospheric physics
  • High-energy astrophysics
  • Space science

Background:

  • Thunderstorms generate powerful electrical discharges.
  • These discharges can produce terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs), which are brief, intense bursts of X-rays and gamma-rays.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present new timing and spectral data of TGFs.
  • To challenge existing theoretical models of TGFs.
  • To investigate particle acceleration mechanisms in TGFs.

Main Methods:

  • Observation of TGFs using the Italian Space Agency's AGILE satellite.
  • Analysis of TGF timing and spectral data above 10 MeV.

Main Results:

  • TGF emission exhibits a significant power-law spectral component extending up to 100 MeV.
  • These findings challenge models relying solely on runaway electron acceleration.
  • The study suggests large electric fields and potentials in TGFs efficiently accelerate numerous particles.

Conclusions:

  • TGFs possess a distinct spectral characteristic challenging current acceleration theories.
  • Reconsideration of photon spectrum and neutron production via photonuclear reactions is warranted.
  • The findings necessitate revised theoretical frameworks for understanding TGF phenomena.