Air KERMA (Kinetic Energy Released per unit MAss of air) measures the amount of radiation energy in air, unit is J/kg. This include the initial kinetic energy of the primary ionizing particles such as photoelectrons, Compton electrons, positron//negatron pairs from photon radiation, and scattered nuclei from fast neutrons, when for example air is irradiated by an x-ray beam. J/kg (gray) is also the unit of the radiation quantity 'Absorbed Dose'.

Annihilation in general refers to the transition of a particle and its antiparticle by collision into something different, depending on their energies and based on the conservation of energy and momentum. The electromagnetic radiation emitted is the result of the annihilation (combination and disappearance) of an electron and a positron. Two gamma rays of 0.511 MeV energy, assuming very low-energy particles, are emitted perpendicular to each other.

An antiparticle is a subatomic particle similar in mass but with opposite electromagnetic properties. Most particles have their antiparticles, electron - positron, etc. Antimatter is composed of antiparticles. Colliding of a particle with its respective antiparticle leads in case of low-energy particles mostly to photon production, in case of high-energy particles to exotic heavy particles.

Henri Becquerel demonstrated beta particles in 1900. Identical with electrons is there negative charge at -1. Their mass is 549 millionths of one AMU, 1/2000 of the mass of a proton or neutron. Beta particles consist of high energetic electrons emitted by radioactive nuclei or neutrons. By the process of beta decay, one of the neutrons in the nucleus is transformed into a proton and a new atom is formed which has one less neutron but one more proton in the core. Beta decay is accompanied by the emission of a positron (the antiparticle of the electron), a positive charged antineutrino. Beta particles have a greater range of penetration than alpha particles but less than gamma rays or x-rays. The name beta was coined by Rutherford in 1897. The traveling speed of beta particles depends on their energy. Because of their small mass and charge beta particles travel deep into tissues and cause cellular damage and possible cancer.

See also Radiation Shielding.

Beta radiation consists of high energetic electrons or positrons emitted spontaneously from nuclei in decay of some radionuclides. Also called beta particle and sometimes shortened to beta (e.g., beta-emitting radionuclides). Beta radiation is used for example in cancer treatment.
The average reach of beta radiation in tissue is 3.5 mm.

See also Beta Decay.