Differences between X-rays and Gamma rays

[wonderingchicken]

Some people said if it is originated from electrons then it is X-ray but if it is originated from the nucleus it is Gamma ray. But people can produced X-rays and Gamma rays by Bremsstrahlung process and in Bremsstrahlung process it is resulted from decelerating or braking electrons. So, Gamma rays produced via Bremsstrahlung are more similar to X-rays as it is produced by electrons. Why people still calling them Gamma rays although it is not generated from the nucleus?

 

[vanhees71]

These are just names for electromagnetic radiation (photons) within different ranges of frequencies:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_spectrum

 

[Ibix]

The last time this got asked I discovered that some sources regard gamma rays as "anything produced from the nucleus" and x rays as "anything produced from the electrons beyond UV", while some sources do as @vanhees71 says and label anything above a certain frequency as gamma rays. I think the latter is more common, especially as we now understand clearly that it's all just EM and the source doesn't really make a difference. I'd presume whatever source you are reading about Bremsstrahlung is using that definition too.

Either way, it's just a label. It's all photons.

 

[vanhees71]

Indeed, em. decays of nuclei are usually in the $\gamma$-ray range. That's actually, where the name comes from, because it was one of the three known kinds of nuclear decay, dubbed $\alpha$-, $\beta$-, and $\gamma$-radiation.

An important exception is Thorium-229:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_clock#The_history_of_the_nuclear_clock

See particularly Reference 6+7 therein.