When measuring photon energies from a radionuclide using a semiconductor, what unit is typically displayed?

When measuring photon energies emitted from a radionuclide using a semiconductor detector, the unit that is typically displayed is kilo-electron volts (keV). This is because photon energies, especially in the context of nuclear and radiation physics, are expressed in electron volts (eV), with kilo-electron volts representing a scale suitable for the energies encountered in radioactive decay processes.

In this context, one kilo-electron volt is equal to 1,000 electron volts, which corresponds to the energy gained by an electron when it is accelerated through an electric potential difference of one kilovolt. This unit is particularly useful for characterizing the specific energies of gamma rays and X-rays emitted from radionuclides, which are important for radiation detection and analysis.

Other units, such as millisieverts (mSv), are used for measuring absorbed doses of radiation and assessing biological effects, but they do not indicate the energy of the photons themselves. Microwatts (µW) measure power, which is not directly related to photon energy. Decibels (dB) are a logarithmic unit used to express ratios, often for sound intensity or signal strength, and are also not applicable for energy measurements in this context. Thus, kilo-electron volts is the