Xray Absorption and Emission Mahidol（x光吸收和排放Mahidol）.pdfVIP

X-ray Absorption and Emission Prepared By Jose Hodak for BSAC program 2008 1- A bit of History: Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered 1895 the X-rays. 1901 he was honored by the Noble prize for physics. In 1995 the German Post edited a stamp, dedicated to W.C. Röntgen . 2- Generation of x-rays: A discharge in a low pressure gas causes electrons emitted by the filament to be accelerated from the cathode (-) to the anode (+). Electrons collide against the anode surface coming to a stop and all their kinetic energy is dissipated in the process. The final velocity of the electrons depends on the voltage difference between the cathode and the anode. In addition, because the electrons are charged, when they are accelerated or decelerated they produce electromagnetic radiation in a broad wavelength range covering from the ultraviolet up to the X-ray region. This decelerating process is called “Bremsstrahlung” (german fror slowing down).Figures 1 and 2 shows how the x-Rays are generated: Figure 1: Schematic of an “x-ray tube” Figure 2: x-ray emission by bremsstrahlung radiation. The incoming electron is scattered at different angles, therefore a component of acceleration acting in the direction perpendicular to the direction of propagation must exist. As a consequence, electromagnetic radiation is emitted. The bremsstrahlung radiation has a broad spectrum up to a maximum energy equivalent to the kinetic energy of the incoming electron, corresponding to complete stopping of the electron, with all its energy being converted to a single x-ray photon. The spectrum of this emission does not depend on the material of the anode. It only depends on the voltage applied to the tube. When this voltage is sufficiently large the kinetic energy of the electrons becomes comparable to the binding energy of the electros in the atoms of the anode. This is shown in Figure 3. When this occurs, the “vacancy” left by removal of one of the inner electrons constitutes an exci