Look up radiation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Radiation is a process in which a body emits energy that propagates through a medium or through empty space, but is absorbed by other bodies. Radiation may also refer to:
Physicsedit
Electromagnetic radiation, radiation that takes the form of a self-propagating wave of electric and magnetic fields,
Thermal radiation, electromagnetic radiation that emanates from every object above absolute zero in proportion to the fourth power of its temperature
Synchrotron radiation (also called a synchrotron light source), electromagnetic radiation generated by the acceleration of fast moving charged particles through magnetic fields
Gravitational radiation, radiation that takes the form of gravitational waves, or ripples in the curvature of spacetime.
Ionizing radiation, radiation that is of high enough energy to cause atoms to lose or gain electrons, rendering molecules, such as proteins, incapable of functioning
Nuclear radiation, radiation, especially ionizing radiation, that emanates from nuclear processes such as radioactive decay
Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, a medical treatment that involves exposing part or all of the body to a controlled amount of ionizing radiation