cascade shower

noun

: a cosmic-ray shower in which a high-energy electron produces one or more photons that convert into electrons and positrons by pair production, these secondary electrons producing the same effect as the primary, the shower thus building up until the level of energy becomes so low that photon emission cannot occur

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of cascade shower was in 1938

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cascade shower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cascade%20shower. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation