Radiation Physics + Biology Flashcards
X-ray generation steps
- Form electron cloud
- accelerate electrons into tungsetn target
- interaction with tungsten electrons produces x-rays
what percent of energy created is lost as heat?
99%
focal spot is where? effective focal spot size?
in anode
changing angle to about 20 degrees so we can get a smaller focal spot as smaller = more sharpness
why use tungsten?
element that has several characteristics of an ideal target material, including the following: •High atomic number (74) •High melting point (3422°C) •High thermal conductivity (173 W · m−1 · K −1 ) •Low vapor pressure at the working temperatures of an x-ray tube
what interactions occur in the PATIENT
- Photoelectric absorption
- Compton scattering
what attenuates more bone or soft tissues?
BONE
- more dense will attenuate more (like vs. tissues)
Definition of Attenuation
– reduction in intensity of the x ray beam by interactions with matter
Definition of Absorption
photon ionizes an atom, converts its energy to the kinetic energy of an electron, and the photon ceases to exist
Definition of Scatter
– photon interacts with an atom and moves off in a different direction
interaction in which photon ceases to exist?
Absorption
which interaction contributes the most to beam attenuation?
Compton Scattering
Breakdown of PERCENTAGES in
No interaction - 9% goes right through
Coherent scattering - 7%
Photoelectric Absorption - 27%
Compton Scattering -57%
Primary contributor to the image formation
Photoelectric Absorption
Photoelectric Absorption
Primary in image
what two interactions contribute to most x-ray beam attenuation?
PE (photoelectric absorption and Compton scattering)
Factors controlling the X-ray beam
- tube current (mA)
- Energy (kVp)
- Timer (s)
- Shape (collimation)
- Intensity (distance)
energy of the photons is referred to as
beam quality
Increasing kVp increases..
the number of photons generated
the mean energy of the photons and the maximum energy of the photons
exposure time and tube current mA are referred to as
beam quantity or beam intensity
Intensity formula
o I1/12=d2^2/D1^2
The intensity is inversly proportional to the square of the distance from the source
if move 3 x away
intensity becomes 1/9th
if move 4x as far away it becomes 1/16th of the intensity
exposure definitino
potential of a source of radiation to ionize
T/F absorbed dose is the same as equivalent dose
TRUE - for our circumstances