When a charged particle accelerates within the field of a nucleus, it emits _____ radiation.

• A. Gravitational
• B. Chemical
• C. Radioactive
• D. Electromagnetic

Answer: (D)

Any accelerated charged particle emits electromagnetic radiation. In the electric field of a nucleus, the particle is deflected and accelerated, causing its electric and magnetic fields to change in time. Those changing fields propagate as photons, i.e., electromagnetic radiation. In nuclear contexts this is often described as bremsstrahlung, producing high-energy photons such as X-rays or gamma rays depending on the energy involved. The other options don’t fit because gravitational radiation requires enormous masses and specific mass motions, chemical radiation isn’t a defined category, and radioactive refers to decay processes—not the acceleration of a charged particle in a nuclear field.