Movement of outer electrons in the inner orbits of an atom produces :

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α-ray

β-ray

γ-ray

x-ray

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Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF – 2015

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Movement of outer electrons in the inner orbits of an atom produces X-rays. When high-energy electrons bombard a target material, they can knock out inner-shell electrons of the target atoms. The vacancies are then filled by electrons from higher energy levels (outer orbits) transitioning to the inner orbits, emitting photons in the process. If the energy difference is large enough, these photons are in the X-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

X-rays are produced when electrons transition between energy levels in the inner shells of atoms or when charged particles are decelerated rapidly (bremsstrahlung). The question specifically refers to electron transitions from outer to inner orbits, which is a mechanism for characteristic X-ray emission.

α-rays are streams of alpha particles (helium nuclei). β-rays are streams of beta particles (electrons or positrons). γ-rays are high-energy electromagnetic waves produced by nuclear transitions. These are fundamentally different from the process described in the question, which relates to electron transitions within the atom’s electron cloud.

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