What does a gamma tick look like? - briefly
A gamma tick manifests as a brief, sharp, dark line on a detector readout, resembling a sudden spike in intensity. It lasts only a few microseconds, showing a rapid rise and fall.
What does a gamma tick look like? - in detail
A gamma tick appears as a narrow, vertical mark placed on a graph or display that represents a specific gamma‑ray energy or event. The line is usually rendered in a high‑contrast colour—commonly red, blue, or yellow—against a dark or light background to ensure visibility. Its thickness is limited to one or two pixels, preserving a crisp appearance even when the plot is zoomed.
The tick is often accompanied by a short horizontal hook or arrow at the top, indicating direction toward the corresponding label. The label itself is positioned just above or beside the hook, using a legible sans‑serif font at a size that remains readable across different resolutions. In many implementations, the label includes the numeric energy value and may also show an uncertainty interval represented by a thin horizontal bar extending left and right from the vertical line.
Key visual characteristics include:
- Length: proportional to the vertical axis scale; typically spans the full height of the plot margin.
- Color: chosen for contrast; may be configurable to match a colour‑coding scheme.
- Edge rendering: anti‑aliased edges to avoid jaggedness, especially on high‑DPI displays.
- Annotation: numeric value placed consistently relative to the tick, often right‑aligned.
- Optional error bar: short horizontal segment centred on the tick, indicating measurement error.
When generated by software, the tick is drawn using vector graphics commands that allow precise placement regardless of screen size. In printed media, it is reproduced as a solid line with the same visual weight, ensuring that the identifier remains clear under various lighting conditions.