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Questions and Answers
What happens if an electron interacts with an inner-shell electron of the target atom?
What happens if an electron interacts with an inner-shell electron of the target atom?
- Characteristic x-rays can be produced. (correct)
- No radiation is produced.
- Only characteristic y-rays can be produced.
- Outer-shell electrons are ionized.
What results when the interaction is sufficiently violent to ionize the target atom?
What results when the interaction is sufficiently violent to ionize the target atom?
Characteristic x-rays.
When are characteristic x-rays emitted?
When are characteristic x-rays emitted?
When an outer-shell electron fills an inner-shell void.
How are characteristic x-rays produced?
How are characteristic x-rays produced?
When are characteristic x-rays produced?
When are characteristic x-rays produced?
What happens when an outer shell electron fills the vacancy in the K shell?
What happens when an outer shell electron fills the vacancy in the K shell?
What accompanies the transition of an orbital electron from an outer shell to an inner shell?
What accompanies the transition of an orbital electron from an outer shell to an inner shell?
The energy of the x-ray is equal to what?
The energy of the x-ray is equal to what?
Only the K-characteristic x-rays of tungsten are useful for imaging.
Only the K-characteristic x-rays of tungsten are useful for imaging.
How much energy do the L x-rays have, and how do they penetrate into soft tissue?
How much energy do the L x-rays have, and how do they penetrate into soft tissue?
Why is this type of x-radiation called characteristic?
Why is this type of x-radiation called characteristic?
How does the effective energy of characteristic x-rays change?
How does the effective energy of characteristic x-rays change?
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Study Notes
Characteristic Radiation Overview
- Characteristic x-rays are produced when an electron interacts with an inner-shell electron of a target atom.
- These x-rays result from a violent interaction that ionizes the target atom, fully removing an inner-shell electron.
Mechanism of Production
- Characteristic x-rays occur when an outer-shell electron fills a void created by the removal of a K-shell electron.
- This process creates a temporary electron void in the K shell, prompting an outer-shell electron to transition and emit an x-ray.
- The emitted x-ray has energy equal to the difference in binding energies of the electrons involved.
Key Energy Considerations
- Only K-characteristic x-rays of tungsten are valuable for imaging due to their significantly higher binding energy.
- L x-rays, approximately 12 keV in energy, have limited penetration capabilities, affecting their utility in imaging, as they only penetrate a few centimeters into soft tissue.
Elemental Characteristics
- Characteristic x-rays are termed so because they are specific to the target element, reflecting its unique binding energies.
- The effective energy of these x-rays increases with the atomic number of the target element, indicating a direct relationship between atomic structure and x-ray energy output.
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