Physics of Radiology

Physics of Radiology
Course Objectives
At the end of this course, the student should be able to:
 Describe the physical processes underlying major medical imaging modalities
 Apply the essential mathematical concepts of image formation and reconstruction

Core Reading Materials:
Cember H., and Johnson T. (2008). Introduction to Health Physics, (4th Ed.). McGraw-Hill Medical.
ISBN-13: 978-0071423083
Hall E.J. (2011). Radiology for the Radiologist, (7th Ed.). LWW. ISBN-13: 978-1608311934
Khan F.M. (2009). The Physics of Radiation Therapy, (4th Ed.). LWW. ISBN-13: 978-0781788564
Atomic Structure
Dalton’s Atomic Theory
 The first atomic structure was suggested by Dalton
 Dalton suggested that atoms are indivisible particles
 Discovery of subatomic particles (protons electrons and neutrons) shattered Dalton’s

model
Rutherford scattering experiment
 Rutherford and his students directed high energy alpha particles (to a very thin gold foil to
determine the deflection patterns
 A fluorescent Zinc Sulphide screen was placed around the gold foil in order to study the deflection
of the alpha particles
Observations
 Most of the alpha particles passed through the gold foil.
Implication: Most of the space in an atom is empty.
 Some alpha particles were deflected by small angles

Implication: Positive charge is not uniformly distributed and concentrated in a tiny volume
 Very few alpha particles were deflected directly back to the source
Implication: a small volume is occupied by the positively charged particles as compared to
the total volume of the atom
Conclusions
Basing his argument on the above observations Rutherford concluded the following
 Most of the mass of the atom is concentrated in a small volume called the nucleus which contains
the positively charged particles
 The negative charged particles (electrons) move around the nucleus in circular paths called orbits.
 The densely concentrated mass of the positive charged particles and the negatively charged
electrons revolving around them are held together by a strong electrostatic force of attraction
Limitations of Rutherford's model
 The model could not explain the stability of the atom.
 According to Maxwell’s laws of electrodynamics, accelerated charged particles emit

electromagnetic radiation (lose energy) and are likely to collapse into the nucleus (Typically in ).
 The radiation is called Bremsstrahlung
 Rutherford did not foresee the arrangement of the electrons in the atom
Compelling questions that needed explanation
1. How are electrons held in place outside the nucleus despite the attractive electrostatic forces?
2. What holds the positive charges in the nucleus together despite the repulsive electrostatic forces?
Bohr Model
Assumptions
 The singular proton of the hydrogen atom or the protons and neutrons of the hydrogen-like species
(ex- He+, Li2+, etc.) are present in the center of the atom, in a positively charged nucleus.
 The electron revolves around fixed circular paths of fixed radius and energy called stationary
states. An electron revolving in these fixed circular path doesn’t radiate energy as per Maxwell’s
laws and maintains a constant energy value. So, these are called the stable orbits and they have
quantized energy.
 The energy of the electron changes only when it makes transitions from the energy level of one
stationary state to the energy level of another stationary state.
 Bohr’s Quantization Principle defines these stationary states as circular paths on which the
angular momentum of the electron is an integral multiple of h/2π
Exercise
Show that the angular momentum

 Max Planck had shown that blackbody radiation theory could not be completely explained following
a classical approach
 He proposed a quantum theory of radiation in which energy exists in form of packets
 The packets of energy are called quanta that depend only on the frequency of the radiation
 Bohr inferred to the atomic spectra to develop his atomic model

 Each element when excited with sufficient energy radiates certain colors that are wavelength specific
 Unlike blackbody radiation or white light, the spectra are discrete
 Hydrogen spectra would consist of several well defined lines which can be given as
 For any other atom the wavelength of the photon that defines the spectral lines is given as
Example1
Determine the wavelength of an electromagnetic radiation emitted when an electron transits from n=3 to
n=1 (Assume hydrogen atom).
Exercise
What is the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation emitted considering a transition leading to Paschen
lines (Take
Note :
 Lyman (
 Paschen series
 Bracket (
 What about Pfund ?

Physics of Radiology

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Physics of Radiology

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Physics of Radiology

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Physics of Radiology

At the end of this course, the student should be able to:

 Describe the physical processes underlying major medical imaging modalities

 Apply the essential mathematical concepts of image formation and reconstruction

 Dalton suggested that atoms are indivisible particles

 Discovery of subatomic particles (protons electrons and neutrons) shattered Dalton’s

 Some alpha particles were deflected by small angles

 According to Maxwell’s laws of electrodynamics, accelerated charged particles emit

 The radiation is called Bremsstrahlung

 He proposed a quantum theory of radiation in which energy exists in form of packets

 Bohr inferred to the atomic spectra to develop his atomic model

 Unlike blackbody radiation or white light, the spectra are discrete

You might also like