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Bremsstrahlung Radiation
X-rays are part of the electromagnetic spectrum and are really a form of light. Like visible light, X-ray photons travel at the speed of light, and they can produce a latent image on film. Unlike visible light, X-Rays can penetrate most opaque matter, make some materials fluorescent, and produce ionization of some materials.
Bremsstrahlung radiation results when an electron passes near the nucleus of an atom. The close passage of the electron to the nucleus causes the electron to change its course thus losing much of its energy in the process. In the world of quantum particles, energy is always exchanged in discreet particles of light known as photons. The loss of energy by the electron as it is deflected by the heavy nuclei in the anode target produces a very high-energy photon of light called an x-ray. The dental x-ray tube produces Bremsstrahlung radiation.
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Radiation
