X ray production Flashcards
Two main methods of X-ray production?
A high-speed electron changes direction suddenly
An electron in an atom transitions from a high-energy to a low-energy state.
What components are essential in an X-ray tube for production?
Heated filament,
Positive anode,
High-tension supply
A target
What is the primary beam in X-ray production?
It is the X-ray beam emerging through the window of the X-ray tube, used for imaging.
How is the size of the primary beam controlled?
By collimators in the X-ray tube.
How is most of the electron’s kinetic energy used at the target?
99% is converted to heat; only 1% produces X-rays.
Two types of radiation produced at the target?
Bremsstrahlung radiation and characteristic radiation.
What causes Bremsstrahlung radiation?
High-speed electrons slow down near or strike the nucleus of target atoms.
What causes characteristic radiation?
A high-speed electron ejects a target atom’s electron, causing an outer electron to fill the vacancy
What spectrum does Bremsstrahlung radiation produce?
A continuous spectrum of X-ray energies.
What determines the energy of characteristic X-rays?
The difference between the binding energies of the electron shells involved
What does the X-ray spectrum represent?
A range of X-ray energies, including continuous and line spectra
What determines the maximum energy of the X-ray beam?
The kVp setting of the X-ray machine.
X-ray quantity
Quantity refers to the number of photons.
X- ray quality
Quality refers to the beam’s penetrating power (photon energy),
Factors affect X-ray output?
Tube kilovoltage (kV), tube current (mAs), filtration, target material, and distance from the source.
