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Basic Interaction Between X-Rays and Matter

The document summarizes the basic interactions between X-rays and matter. It discusses the five main interaction types: coherent scattering, photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, pair production, and photodisintegration. It explains that X-rays can interact with orbital electrons or atomic nuclei. The photoelectric effect and Compton scattering are the most important interactions in diagnostic radiology. The photoelectric effect produces high-quality images but higher patient exposure, while Compton scattering causes noise but does not depend on atomic number.

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Nazmus Sakib
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189 views62 pages

Basic Interaction Between X-Rays and Matter

The document summarizes the basic interactions between X-rays and matter. It discusses the five main interaction types: coherent scattering, photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, pair production, and photodisintegration. It explains that X-rays can interact with orbital electrons or atomic nuclei. The photoelectric effect and Compton scattering are the most important interactions in diagnostic radiology. The photoelectric effect produces high-quality images but higher patient exposure, while Compton scattering causes noise but does not depend on atomic number.

Uploaded by

Nazmus Sakib
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Basic Interaction Between X-rays

and Matter
Dr Neyamul Asif
FCPS (mid-term trainee)
Radiology & Imaging
• Atoms are bonded into molecules by electrons
in the outermost shell.
• X-ray photons may interact either with orbital
electrons or with the nucleus of atom.

B C
• A group of oxygen atoms will stop the same
number of x-ray photon, regardless of their
physical state. It does not matter if the oxygen
is free as gas or is bound to hydrogen as
water.
• Important factor is atomic make up of tissue
and not its molecular structure.
• There are 5 ways that an x-ray photon can
interact with matter. These are:

1. Coherent scattering
2. Photoelectric effect (VVI)
3. Compton scattering (VVI)
4. Pair production
5. Photodisintegration
• When photons are absorbed, they are
completely removed from the x-ray beam and
cease to exist.
• When photons are scattered they are
deflected into random course, and no longer
carry useful information.
• Because their direction is random, they cannot
portray an image and only thing they produce
is blackness.
• Scattered radiations add noise (Film Fog).
Coherent Scattering
• The name “coherent scattering” is given to
those interactions in which radiation
undergoes a change in direction without
change in wavelength.
• For this reason , it is called unmodified
scattering .
• There are 2 types of Coherent scattering .

1. Thompson scattering (Single electron)


2. Rayleigh scattering (multiple electrons)

Sometimes they are called “classical scattering”.


• Low energy radiation is required.
• Only direction of energy is changed.
Photoelectric effect
• The closer the shell is to nucleus, tighter the
electron in that shell are bound to the
nucleus.
• The electron in the outer most shell are
loosely bound. So they are called free
electrons.
• The energy value of an electron shells is also
determined by atomic number of an atom.
Ex-
Atomic number of Pb = 82
Atomic number of Ca = 20
K shell binding energy of Pb = 88
K shell binding energy of Ca = 4

• K shell electrons are more tightly bound in


high atomic numbers than they are in
elements with low atomic number.
Ex-
Atomic number of tungsten = 74
K shell of binding energy of tungsten = 70k
L shell of binding energy of tungsten = 11k

Atomic number of Molybdenum =42

K shell of binding energy of Molybdenum = 20 k


L shell of binding energy of Molybdenum = 2k
• Electrons in the k shell are at lower energy level
than electron in the L shell.
• Photoelectron will be absorbed .
Why?
- They are charged particle.
- Little penetrating power.

Atomic number of tungsten = 74


K shell of binding energy of tungsten = 70k
L shell of binding energy of tungsten = 11k
Characteristic radiation = ( 70k- 11K) = 59 k
• Photoelectric effect’s end products-
1. Characteristic radiation
2. Negative ion ( photoelectron)
3. Positive ion

Rules of Photoelectric effect-


4. The incident photon must have sufficient
energy to overcome the binding energy of
electron.
2. A photoelectric reaction is most likely to occur
when the photon energy and binding energy
are nearly the same.
1
Photoelectric effect ~
( energy)3
3. The tighter an electron is bound in orbit, the
more likely it is to be involved in a
photoelectric reaction.

Photoelectric effect ~ (atomic number)3


• Calcium which has highest atomic number of
any element found in the body in significant
quantity, that emit 4 kev maximum energy
characteristic photon.

• The contrast agents iodine and barium are


only elements encountered in diagnostic
radiology that emit characteristic radiation
energetic enough to leave the the patient to x
-ray film.
Importance of Photoelectric interaction in
Diagnostic radiology:
1.It produces radiographic image of excellent
quality.
2.It does not produce scattered radiation.
3.It enhances natural tissue contrast.

Disadvantage:
1.Patient exposures are much higher than any
other type of interaction.
Compton scattering
• Almost all scatter radiation that we encounter
in diagnostic radiology comes from compton
scattering.
• An incident photon with relatively high energy
strikes a free outer shell electron, ejecting it
from outer shell electron, ejecting it from its
orbit. The photon is deflected by electron so
that it travels in a new direction as scatter
radiation.
• Photon always retains part of its original
energy.
• End products of compton interaction :
1. Recoil electron / negative electron
2. Positive atom

• Compton photon never gives up all its


energy. The photon retains some energy
deflects back along its original path at angle
of 1800
• Higher the energy of photons, more difficult
they are to deflect.
Ex- At 1 MeV, most scattered photon deflects in
forward direction.

↑ energy = ↑ scattered at forward direction.


↓ energy = ↑ scattered at backward direction.
12.4
KeV =
λ
Disadvantage of compton scattering-
1. It causes noise (film fogging).
2. Safety hazard for radiologist and other
personnel.

Rules of compton scattering:


3. It depends on total number of electrons in an
absorber, which in turn depends on its
density and the number of electrons per
gram.
2. It does not depends on atomic number.

3. It depends on energy.
Ex-
↑ energy = ↑ scattered at forward direction.
↓ energy = ↑ scattered at backward direction
Pair production
• In pair production, high energy photon
interact with the nucleus of an atom, photon
disappears and its energy is converted into
matter in the form of 2 particles-
1.Electron (0.51 Mev)
2.Positron (0.51 Mev)
Important points of pair production:
1. ((0.51 MeV+ 0.51 MeV) = 1.02 MeV energy
must.
2. E=mc2 law of einstein.

3.
Used in PET scan.
Photodisintegration
• In photodisintegration, part of the nucleus of
an atom is ejected by a high energy photon.
Ejected particles are-
1.Alpha particle
2.Neutron
3.Proton
Total energy required 7- 15 MeV
Attenuation
• Attenuation is the reduction in the intensity of
an x-ray beam as it traverses matter by either
the absorption or deflection of photon from
the beam.
Attenuation
Attenuation depends on-
a. Quality of x-ray ( penetrating ability)
b. Quantity of x-ray ( Amount of x-ray)

Based on attenuation , radiation can be


divided into 2 types.
a. Monochromatic radiation
b. Polychromatic radiation
Monochromatic radiation
• There is no change of wavelength or
frequency.
• Only photon number is changing.
Why it is called monochromatic?
Example
• Characteristic x-ray
• Gamma ray
• Auger electron
• Alpha ray
Polychromatic radiation
• There are change of wavelength , frequency
or kV.
• Photon number is also changing.
Poly energetic radiation
• Ordinary x- ray beam
• Beta ray
• Bremsstrahlung radiation.
Linear attenuation coefficient
N= N0 e-µx

N= Number of transmitted photon


N0 = Number of incident photon
e = Base of natural logarithm
µ = Linear attenuation coefficient
x= Absorber thickness (in c.m)
Incase of radioactive decay,
N= N0 e-ʎt

N= activity of remaining radionuclide


N0 = Initial activity of radionuclide
e= Base of natural logarithm
ʎ =Decay constant
t= time
• If time = half life ,
T= t ½ then,
N= N0 / 2,
N0 / 2= N0 / 2 e-ƴt1/2
ʎ= 0.693/ t ½ or
t ½= 0.693/ ʎ
Half value layer
• HVL is the thickness of the material that
attenuate 50 % of x-ray is called half value
layer.

HVL= 0.603 / µ
Tenth value layer
• TVL is the thickness of the material, which
reduces the photon intensity to one tenth of
its original value.
• That means 90 % beam will be attenuated.
1 TVL= 3.3 HVL
Atomic num x density x electron per g
LAC =
Energy
Thank you.

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