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, to be absorbed by other bodies.

Radiation may also refer to:

In physics:

• Electromagnetic radiation, radiation (as above) that takes the form of a self-propagating wave of electric and magnetic fields, including such phenomena as radio waves and visible light
• Ionizing radiation, radiation (as above) that is capable of causing chemical changes in the body into which it is absorbed (e.g., is capable of damaging biological tissues)
• Nuclear radiation, radiation (especially ionizing radiation) that emanates from nuclear processes such as radioactive decay
• Thermal radiation, electromagnetic radiation that emanates from every object, in proportion to the fourth power of the temperature of the object
• Synchrotron radiation, (a.k.a. synchrotron light source)

In medicine:

• Radiation (medicine), characteristics of an affliction, e.g. pain, to spread to other parts of the body than the origin
• Radiation therapy, a medical treatment that involves exposing part or all of the body to a controlled amount of ionizing radiation
• Radiation poisoning, a form of damage to organ tissue due to excessive exposure to ionizing radiation

In evolutionary biology:

• Evolutionary radiation, a diversification into several lineages from a common ancestor
• Adaptive radiation, an evolutionary radiation to fill many ecological niches

In regulatory law:

• Intentional radiator, radio waves that are produced by an electronic device as a necessary part of its function (e.g., as produced by a radio transmitter)
• Unintentional radiator, undesirable radio waves that are produced by an electronic device (e.g., a computer) as a consequence of its design

In music and arts:

• Radiation (album), the 1998 album by Marillion

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