What is the term used for the unit that measures the amount of energy absorbed in any medium?

The term "radiation absorbed dose" refers specifically to the measure of energy absorbed per unit mass in a medium when exposed to ionizing radiation. This unit, often abbreviated as "rad," quantifies the amount of radiation energy deposited in a given mass of a substance (typically tissues in biological contexts) and is crucial in fields such as medical imaging and radiation therapy.

In this context, measuring the energy absorbed is vital for assessing potential biological effects of radiation exposure, which can be crucial for ensuring safety and effective treatment in medical applications. Each of the other terms provided serves different functions. For example, "exposure dose" measures the ionization produced in air by X-rays or gamma rays, while "dosimeter unit" typically refers to the tools used to measure radiation doses but does not denote a specific measurement system by itself. Moreover, "radiation dose equivalent" (Sv) takes into account the biological effect of radiation, integrating the absorbed dose with factors accounting for different radiation types, and is not solely focused on the energy absorption itself.