Parameter Tree:
EARTH SCIENCE > SPECTRAL/ENGINEERING > X-RAY

 Definition:
X-Ray (Or x-radiation, Rntgen ray) is electromagnetic radiation with
wavelengths shorter than that of ultraviolet radiation and greater than that of
gamma radiation.


Discovered accidentally by Rntgen in 1895. The primary mechanism for the
production of x- rays is deceleration of a rapidly moving charge upon
interaction with matter (bremsstrahlung). The x-ray spectrum from an x-ray tube
consists of this continuous spectrum on which are superimposed narrow bands
(characteristic radiation) that are a consequence of transitions between
electronic energy levels of atoms. No sharp boundary exists between x- and
ultraviolet radiation nor between x- and gamma radiation, although the latter
term is usually restricted to radiation resulting from transitions between
nuclear energy levels.

Reference:
American Meteorological Society Glossary of Meteorology Online
http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/

Boorse, H. A., and L. Motz, 1966: The World of the Atom, Vol. 1, 385401.