HISTORY

• X-ray was discovered by Wilhelm

Conrad Röentgen.
• He was professor of experimental
physics at Wurzburg university
germany.
• Discovered X-ray in 8 November,1895.
• In 1897, X-rays were used in battle
field to find bullets and broken bones
inside the patients.
• Awarded first Nobel prize for physics
in 1905.
 HISTORY CONTD........
• Roentgen placed his wife's hand
on photographic plate and
exposed it to unknown radiation
for 15 minutes.
• When he developed photographic
plate,the outlines of bones of her
hand could be seen.
• First X-ray plate developed by
Roentgen is of his wife Bertha on
22 December,1895.
 DISCOVERY OF X RAYS

• Roentgen discovered X-ray accidentally while

experimenting electron beams in cathode ray tube.
• Roentgen noticed crystals near a high volatage cathode
ray tube exhibiting a fluoroscent glow,even when he
shielded them with dark paper.
• He inferred some form of energy was being produced by
the tube that was penetrating the paper and causing the
crystals to glow.
• Roentgen called the unknown energy “X-radiations” as
he did not know what they were.
MISCELLANEOUS
 WHAT ARE X RAYS ?

• Form of high energy electromagnetic radiation,therefore

transverse waves of high photon energy.
• They belong to short wavelength,high-frequency end of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
• Falls between gamma and ultraviolet radiation.
• Wavelength ranging from 0.01 to 10 nm.
• Frequency 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz.
• Energy 100 eV to 100 keV.
ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
 PROPERTIES OF X RAYS
• Travel in straight line with speed of light.
• Can't be deflected by electric or magnetic fields.(this
suggest they are uncharged or neutral particle)
• Affect photographic film.
• Produce fluoroscence and photoelectric emission.
• Penetrates matter (penetration power is least in material
of high density.)
• Ionises gas when passed through gas tube.
 TYPES OF X RAYS
SOFT X-RAYS HARD X-RAYS

• Photon energies below • Photon energies above

10 keV. 10 keV.
• Long wavelength. • Short wavelength.
• Used in radiography to • Used in
take pictures of bone and radiotherapy,treatment of
internal organ. cancer,airport security
• Donot cause much scanners.
damage to tissues. • Cause damage to living
tissue.
 PRODUCTION OF X RAYS

• X-rays are produced due to

sudden deceleration of fast
moving electron when they
collide and interact with metal
target i.e. anode.
• In the process of deceleration
more than 90% of energy is
converted into heat and less
than 10 % is converted into x-
ray.
 X-RAY TUBE

• X-ray tube is a vacuum tube that converts electrical

input power into x-rays.
X-RAY TUBE CONSISTS OF

1. An evacuated glass tube to allow the electrons strike the

target without collision withb gas molecule.
2. A heated filament as a cathode and is made from
material of lower ionization energy.
3. A target anode made from heavy metal of high melting
point such as tungsten and molybednum.
4. A cooling system that is used to prevent traget
(anode)from melting.
5. A high voltage source that is used to the anode at a large
positive potential compare to filament.
 STEPS IN X-RAY PRODUCTION
• When a filament (cathode) is heated by current supplied to
it,many electrons are emitted by thermionic emission i.e.
emission of electron from a heated conductor.
• These emitted electron are accelerated toward target,which is
maintained at a high volatge relative to cathode.
• The high speed electrons strike the target and rapidly
decelarated on impact.
• Kinetic energy of moving electron is coverted into x-rays and
heat energy.
X-rays are produced by two different atomic process
• CHARACTERISTIC RADIATION:
When a fast moving electron collide with
k-shell electron,k-shell electron is
ejected,leaving behind a hole.
An outer shell electron fill this whole
(from L-shell,M-shell etc.) with an
emission of a x-ray photon.
Each elements has different binding
energies, so the radiation produce by
transition of electron is characteristic to
that element.
• Characteristic x-ray radiation have a very
specific energies.
• Characteristic x-rays have discrete energies
based on binding energies of elements.
• K characteristic x-rays require a tube potential
of atleast 70 kVp.
• In mammography x-ray tube which typically
use molybednum as target,more than 80%
radiations are characteristic radiation.
 BREMSSTRAHLUNG RADIATION

• Bremsstrahlung means “to apply brakes” in german

language.
• They are produced when bombarded electron instead of
knocking outer shell electrons interact with positively
charged nucleus of tyarget atom.
• The course of these electrons would be deflected,and a
portion of their kinetic energy will be lost.
• That loss of kinetic energy will appear as x-rays following
law of conservation of energy.
• According to principle of conservation of energy.
• FINAL KE OF ELECTRON =INITIAL KE OF ELECTRON - ENERGY OF X-
RAY PHOTON
• Bremmstrahlung can have any energy ranging from zero
to maximum KE of bombarded electrons.
• Depending on how much the electrons are influenced by
electric field of nucleus.
• Therefore they have continuous spectrum unlike
characteristic radiation.
 X-RAY SPECTRUM
• As a result of characteristic and
bremmstrahlung radiation
generation a spectrum a X-ray
energy is produced within x-ray
beam.
• This spectrum can be
manipulated by changing x-ray
tube current,voltage current or
by adding filters to select out
low energy x-rays.
 EFFECT OF KEV
• kVp primarily controls the energy or penetrating quality of
x-ray beam.
• kVp setting determine the potential differnce between
cathode and anode.
• When kvp is increased the speed of bombarding electrons
increased as a result maximum energy and average
energy of x-ray beam is increased.
• A higher kvp will allow x-ray beams to enter more denser
tissue.
• Increase in kvp will decrease the contrast of x-ray image.
 EFFECT OF MA

• mA setting determines the heating of filament.

• Hotter the filament more electron are emitted;more
electrons crossing x-ray tube,the greater the number of x-
rays generated.
• No change in average energy or maximum energy of x-
ray beam.
• Increase in mA will increase overall contrast of x-ray
image.
 EFFECT OF EXPOSURE TIME

• Increase in x-ray exposure

time will result in an
increase in number of x-
rays.
• Doubling the exposure
time doubles the number
of x-ray produced.
• No effect on average or
maximum energy of x ray
beam.
 FILTRATION
• Low-energy x-rays donot contribute to formation of an x-
ray;all they do is expose body to radiation.
• Process of removing these low energy x-rays from x-ray
beam is known as Filtration.
• Filtration increases the average energy (quality) of x-ray
beam.
• There are two type of x-rays filtration;
1. INHERENT FILTRATION
2. ADDED FILTRATION
 INHERENT FILTRATION

• This result from materials present inside x-ray tube

through which x-ray beam passes.
• These include the beryllium window of x ray tube,the oil in
tubehead and the barrier material that keeps the oil from
leaking out of tubehead.
• This removes very weak x-rays.
 ADDED FILTRATION

• These are the interchangeable metallic disc placed in the

path of x-ray beam,these removes the x-rays that have
enough energy to get through the inherent filtration.
• Most common metals used are aluminium and copper.
• TOTAL FILTRATION is the combined effect of both the
filtration.
• According to US guidelines minimum total filtration of 2.5
mm is required for x-ray tubes operating above 70 kVp.
 COLLIMATION

• Collimation is used to restrict the area of body parts that

the x-ray will contact.
• We want to cover the entire film with x-rays at the same
time we dont want to overexpose the patients.
• Also when x-ray from the tube interacts with the parts
other than our area of interest,they produce scatter
radiation,further increasing the exposure and also
decrease quality of image.
• X-ray beam continues to fan out
as target is moved further from
source.
• More surface is exposed than
required .
• By collimating,less overall surface
is exposed and less scatter
radiation is produced.
• Both decreases patients exposure.
• Collimator is nothing but a
lead disc with a whole in
centre.
• The size of hole
determines ultimate size of
x-ray beam.
• The shape of collimator
determines shape of x-ray
beam.
 GRIDS

• Grids are placed between

the patients and x-ray film
to reduce the scatter
radiation produce mainly
by COMPTON EFFECT.
• These are made up of
parallel strips of lead with
interspace having an
alluminium or organic
spacer.
 COMPTON EFFECT

• It is one of three principle forms of photon interaction with

matter.
• When an incident x-ray photon interacts with unbound or
loosely bound electron its direction is changed.
• It also imparts some of its energy to the electron (recoil
electron)
• The scattered x-ray photon will now have different
wavelength and energy.
• This will lead to reduction in number of useful x-rays thus
decrease contrast.
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