No, for alpha, beta, and gamma radiation.
Neutrons can activate some materials, making them radioactive.
Starting around ~8MeV, incoming radiation can carry enough energy to exceed the binding energy of a nucleus.
It is not likely that this applies to your case. See for some special cases:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_radioactivity.
The 99% accurate answer to your question is still "no".
No, as long as it does not contaminate your material its not radioactive. and no magnetism involved.
The full answer will be a mix of those of Joseph and Thorwald
- alpha, beta and gamma rays from radioactive nuclides are generally not energetic enough to produce nuclear reactions with a radioactive product.
- there are a few exceptions: remember in particular the discovery of artificial radioactivity by Joliot & Curie by sending alhas on Al .
- high-energy particles of any kind are able to produce a nuclear reaction and a radioactive product. The energy threshold depends on the projectile and on the target. The order of magnitude of 8 MeV applies to gammas. Alphas have to pass the Coulomb barrier that increases with the atomic number of the target (more than 20 MeV for heavy elements, but only few MeV for light elements). Betas need more energy than gammas because they can only transfer a part of their energy to a nucleus.
- there is no energy threshold for neutrons; low-energy neutrons are captured by many elements , often producing radioactivity.
- The induction of radioactivity, or activation, is not similar to magnetism.
In magnetism, the material reacts to the external field without absorbing it and without composition change, by adding its own field, that for a large part disappears when the external field disappears.
In activation, the incoming radiation is absorbed and the composition of the material is changed , with the creation of a new source of radiation, that will then exist independently of the incoming radiation..
Thank you Prof. Francois Tondeur, and all other respected colleagues for your answers to this question. If possible, I would like to know more about the transferred magnetism from physics point of view. If a permanent magnet is kept close to a magnetic material such as iron (e.g.a needle) , then the iron becomes a magnet after a relatively long duration; why?
It will depend on the type and energy of the radiation and the material. If the energy is sufficient for the threshold of any nuclear excitation or reaction, they may hold radioactivity.
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