Abstract
Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation either emitted from a nucleus or an annihilation reaction between matter and antimatter. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation emitted by charged particles (usually electrons) in changing atomic energy levels or in slowing down in a Coulomb force field. X-rays and gamma rays have identical properties, only differing in their origin. The two used to be distinguishable by energy of the particle, but now linear accelerators are able to produce high-energy X-rays that have the same or higher energy as gamma rays. The practical range of photon energies emitted by radioactive atoms extends from a few thousand eV up to over 7 MeV. On the other hand, linear accelerators are able to produce more energetic photons. The energy ranges of X-rays in terms of generating voltage are given in Table 3.1.
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Maqbool, M. (2017). Interaction of Gamma Rays and X-Rays with Matter. In: Maqbool, M. (eds) An Introduction to Medical Physics. Biological and Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61540-0_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61540-0_3
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