What process deposits energy when high-energy gamma radiation penetrates human tissue?
Answer
Ionization, knocking electrons out of atoms
When powerful gamma ray radiation penetrates tissue, its primary mechanism for interaction and subsequent damage is ionization. Ionization is the specific process where the high-energy photon collides with atoms within the tissue, effectively stripping electrons from those atoms. This action disrupts the atomic structure and, consequently, the chemical bonds and molecular machinery of biological structures, including DNA. This deposition of energy locally is fundamentally different from mechanical forces like momentum transfer, which would characterize blunt trauma from a macroscopic object.
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