(2) A beam of bremsstrahlung radiation shows a continuous energy range
from a very low energy to the maximum energy possessed by the electrons. The
energy spectrum produced by 100-keV electrons in tungsten is illustrated in figure 1-13.
Figure 1-13. Energy spectrum produced by 100-keV electrons in tungsten.
(3) An electron, as well as being decelerated near the nucleus, may
occasionally collide with the nucleus. In this case, the electron loses all its energy in the
collision and that energy is given off as a photon. The energy of the photon would be
equal to that of the electron. Figure 1-14 shows an interaction of this type. If the
electron shown possessed 100 keV of energy, the resultant photon would also have
100 keV of energy.
Photon (maximum energy)
Figure 1-14. High speed electron in collision with atomic nucleus.
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