X-Rays

X-rays are extremely short wavelength electromagnetic radiation, first produced by W.C.
Roentgen in 1895 by bombarding a heavy metal anode with high energy electrons.
X-ray emission is the inverse of the photoelectric effect : in the photoelectric effect, the
energy of a photon is transformed into the kinetic energy of a photoelectron, while during X-ray
emission, the kinetic energy of a photon is converted into X-rays.

The experimental arrangement for producing X-rays is shown in the figure. The filament is
heated to high temperatures, and then, it starts emitting electrons due to thermionic emission.
These electrons are then accelerated by a very high potential difference (between the filament
and the target) and the electon beam is focussed onto a metal anode (made of a heavy metal like
Cu, W etc.)
The following processes occur :
(i) An electron loses a part of its kinetic energy and continues to move with the remaining
energy until it hits another atom of the target. Part or whole of the energy lost by the electron is
converted into a photon. This process is known as bremsstrahlung (breaking radiation)- as it
leads to the electron getting decelerated by the target. It is impossible to explain using classical
ideas, the continuous spectrum of X-rays generated during this process especially the existence
of a minimum wavelength (or maximum frequency). This minimum wavelength does not depend
on the target material.
(ii) The other process produces peaks within the X-ray spectrum that depend on the target
material. The high energy electrons knock off the innermost electrons of the atoms of the target
material causing a vacancy. This vacancy is filled by an electron that jumps from one of the
outer shells. The energy of the photon emitted is characteristic of the target atom.
If the potential difference between the filament and the target is V then the kinetic energy of the
electron just before it hits the target is
K.E. = eV
Energy of the X-ray photon, E = hc/

E is the fraction of K.E. of electron that gets converted into photon. l is the wavelength of the
photon.
Wavelength of the X-rays photon
= hc/E

as E eV

hc/eV min = hc/eV

min is known as cut off wavelength.
The adjoining graph shows the variation of the intensity of X-rays coming out of the tube with
wavelengths. At some sharply defined wavelengths (Ka,, Kb) the intensity of the emitted
radiation is very large. These x-rays are known as characteristic X-rays.

The wavelengths of continuous X-rays depends only on the potential difference between the
filament and the target.
Production of characteristic X-rays:
Suppose that a fast moving electron knocks out an inner electron from an atom of the target
element. A vacancy is created, an electron from filled higher energy level jumps into the vacancy
and the excess energy is released as a photon. This process produces characteristic X-rays.
If the vacancy is created in K shell and electron from the L shell fills the vacancy then the
emitted photon is a K X-ray. If a vacancy is created in the K-shell and an electron from the M
shell fills this vacancy then the X-ray emitted is known as a k X-ray.
Production of characteristic X-rays

Suppose that a fast moving electron knocks out an inner electron from an atom of the target
element. A vacancy is created, an electron from filled higher energy level jumps into the vacancy
and the excess energy is released as a photon. This process produces characteristic X-rays.
If the vacancy is created in K shell and electron from the L shell fills the vacancy then the
emitted photon is a Ka X-ray. If a vacancy is created in the K-shell and an electron from the M
shell fills this vacancy then the X-ray emitted is known as a kb X-ray.

; where Ek, EL, EM are the electronic energy levels

Moseleys law :

Moseley studied the nature of characteristic X-rays experimentally. His observations led to the
empirical result :
= a(Zb)
where = frequency of the X-ray and a and b are constants, characteristic of the emitter.
= a2 (Zb)2

(i)

From Bohrs atomic theory,

(ii)
Comparing these two expressions, we can conclude that for an atom having a high atomic
number, Z can be replaced by (Z-b).
For Ka X-ray

b=1

where E1 = 13.6 eV

Here R Rydberg constant

Soft and hard X-rays

Short wavelength X-rays are called hard X-rays and long wavelength X-rays are known as soft
X-rays.