BASIC INTERACTION

BETWEEN XRAYS AND

MATTER
Dr. S.KALYAN CHAKRAVARTHY
PG
RADIODIAGNOSIS
X-ray photons may interact either with orbital
electrons or with the nucleus. In the diagnostic
energy range, the interactions are always with
orbital electrons.

The molecular bonding energies ,however are

too small to influence the type and number of
interactions .

The most important factor is the atomic make

up of a tissue and not its molecular structure.
There are 5 basic ways that an x-ray photon can
interact with matter.
These are :Broadly classified on the basis of
A: PHOTON SCATTERING:
- COHERENT SCATTERING

- COMPTON SCATTERING

B: PHOTON DISAPPEARANCE
- PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT

- PAIR PRODUCTION

- PHOTODISINTEGRATION
 COHERENT SCATTERING
Radiation undergoes a change in direction
without change in wavelength, thus sometimes it
is called as unmodified scattering

There are two types of coherent scattering:

Both the types are described in terms of wave-
particle Interaction and therefore also called as
Classical scattering
i. Thomson scattering: Single electron involved in
the interaction.
ii. Rayleigh scattering: there is Co-operative
interaction of all the electrons.
What happens in coherent scattering?
Low energy radiation encounters electrons

Electrons are set into vibration

Vibrating electron, emits radiation

Atom returns to its undisturbed state

Coherent Rayleigh scattering
Only type of interaction that doesnot
cause ionization --- why??? because, no
energy is transferred to atom by photon.

Only effect is to change direction of

incident radiation
It occurs less than 5% and is not important
in diagnostic radiology. It produces scattered
radiation but of negligible quantity.
 PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT
Review a few points about atomic physics
The atom consists of a central nucleus and
orbital electrons
The positively charged nucleus exerts an electric
force of attraction and holds the negatively
charged electrons in specific orbits or shells. The
innermost shell is called the K shell and more the
peripheral shells are named consecutively L, M,
N, and so forth
The K shell can hold 2 electrons and L shell has
capacity of 8 electrons.
Basic structure of an ATOM :
PROTON ( +ve charge )
An atom is made up of NUCLEUS
NEUTRON ( neutral )

ORBITAL ELECTRONS ( -ve charge )

ORBITS / SHELLS ( K, L, M, N etc. )

Each shell has specific binding energy. The
closer the shell is to nucleus, the tighter the
electrons are bound to the nucleus.

The electrons in the outer most shell are

loosely bound. They are essentially free and
are called free or valence electrons.
 Energy value of electronic shells is also determined by the
atomic number of the atom.

K-shell electron are more tightly bound in elements of high

atomic number. Example:- Pb : 88keV while Ca : 4keV.

Electrons in the K -shell are at a lower energy level than

electrons in the L-shell. If we consider the outermost electrons
as free ,than inner shell electrons are in energy debt. The
energy debt is greatest when they are close to nucleus in an
element with a high atomic number.
 What happens in Photoelectric effect ?
An incident PHOTON with little more energy than binding energy of electron encounters a
K shell electron and ejects it from the orbit

The photon disappears, giving up ( nearly) all its energy to the electron

The electron ( now free of its energy debt) flies off into space as a photoelectron.
excess energy is carried as kinetic energy.

The K shell electron void filled immediately by another electron and hence the excess
energy is released as CHARACTERISTIC RADIATION.

The atom is ionised.

 Photoelectric effect always
yields three end products

Characteristic radiation
A negative ion (photoelectron)
A positive ion ( electron deficit
atom)
3 simple rules govern the probability of occurrence
1) The incident photon must have sufficient energy
to overcome the binding energy of the electron.
2) A photoelectric reaction is most likely to occur
when the photon energy and electron binding
energy are nearly the same.
Photoelectric effect 1/
(energy)
3) The tighter an electron is bound in its orbit, the
most likely it is to be involved in the photoelectric
reaction
Photoelectric effect (atomic no.)
Elements with Low atomic number :
interaction mostly occur at the K shell.
Elements with High atomic number :
interaction mostly occur at L and M shell.

In summary, Photoelectric reactions are

most likely to occur with low energy
photons and elements with high atomic
numbers, provided the photons have
sufficient energy to overcome the forces
binding the electrons in their cells.
 K-shell electron binding energies of elements
important in diagnostic radiology

Atom Atomic number K-shell binding energy(keV)

Calcium 20 4.04
Iodine 53 33.2
Barium 56 37.4
Tungsten 74 69.5
Lead 82 88.O
 Applications in diagnostic radiology :
Advantages :
It produces radiological Disadvantages:

images of excellent
quality.
Does not produce
scatter radiation.
It enhances natural
tissue contrast (as some
tissues absorb more x-
rays than other tissues.)
Maximum
radiation
exposure.
All the energy is
absorbed by the
patient ,whereas
in other reactions
only part of the
incident photons
energy is
absorbed
 COMPTON SCATTERING
The Compton effect occurs when an incident x-ray
photon with relatively high energy strikes a free
outer shell electron, ejecting it from its orbit.
The photon is deflected by the electron so that it
travels in new direction as scatter radiation.

The reaction produces an ion pair

A +ve atom
A ve electron ( recoil electron )
 Recoil electron

Scattered photon
 Almost all the scatter radiation that we encounter in diagnostic radiology comes
from Compton Scattering.

Energy of photon distributed in two ways:

Part of it goes to recoil electron as Kinetic energy.
And the rest is retained by the deflected photon.
Two factors determine the amount of energy the photon transmits:
The initial energy of the photon.
Its angle of deflection.

1.Initial energy :- Higher the energy more difficult to deflect.

High energy : Travel straight retaining most of the energy.
Low energy : Most scatter back at angle of 180

2. Angle of deflection :- Greater the angle, lesser the energy

transmitted. With a direct hit, maximum energy is transferred
to the recoil electron. The photon retains some energy &
deflects back along its original path at an angle of 180.
 ENERGY OF COMPTON SCATTERED PHOTONS

The change in wavelength of a scattered photon is calculated as :

= 0.024 ( 1 cos ) ,
where = change in wavelength
= angle of photon deflection
 3. COMPTON EFFECT

Probability of occurence :
It depends on :-
Total number of electrons : It further depends on density and number of
electrons per gram of the absorber. All elements contain approx. the same no.
of electrons per gram, regardless of their atomic no. Therefore the no. of
Compton reactions is independent of the atomic no. of the absorber.

Energy of the radiation : The no. of reactions gradually diminishes as

photon energy increases, so that a high energy photon is more likely to pass
through the body than a low energy photon.

Two subsequent points should also be noted:

Firstly, the photoelectron can cause ionizations along its track.

Secondly, X-ray emission can occur when the vacancy left by the
photoelectron is filled by an electron from an outer shell of the atom.
Disadvantages of Compton reaction :
Scatter radiation : Almost all the scatter radiation that we encounter in diagnostic
Radiology comes from Compton scattering. In the diagnostic energy range, the photon
retains most of its original energy. This creates a serious problem, because photons that
are scattered at narrow angles have an excellent chance of reaching an x-ray film &
producing fog.

Exceedingly difficult to remove

cannot be removed by filters because they are too energetic.
cannot be removed by grids because of narrow angles of deflection.

It is also a major safety hazard. Even after 90 deflection most of its original
energy is retained.
Scatter radiation as energetic as the primary radiation.
Safety hazard for the radiologist, personnel and the patient.
 4. PAIR PRODUCTION

No importance in diagnostic radiology.

What happens in Pair production ?

A high energy photon interacts with the nucleus of an atom.
The photon disappears & its energy is converted into matter in the form
of two particles
An electron
A positron (particle with same mass as electron, but with +ve charge.)

Mass of one electron is 0.51 MeV.

2 electron masses are produced.
So the interaction cannot take place with photon energy less than 1.02 MeV.
 5. PHOTODISINTEGRATION

A photon with extremely high energy ( 7-15 MeV), interacts directly

with the nucleus of an atom.
May eject a neutron, proton or on rare occasions even an alpha
particle.

No diagnostic importance.
We rarely use radiation >150 KeV in diagnostic radiology.

What happens in Photodisintegration ?

A high energy photon encounters the nucleus of an atom.

Part of the nucleus which may be a neutron, a proton, an alpha particle or a

cluster of particles, is ejected.
RELATIVE FREQUENCY OF BASIC INTERACTIONS

Coherent scattering : About 5% .

Minor role throughout the diagnostic energy range.

Compton scattering : Dominant interaction in water.

Water is used to represent tissues with low atomic nos. such
as air, fat and muscle.

Photoelectric reaction : usually seen in the contrast agents

because of their high atomic numbers.

Bone is intermediate between water & the contrast agents.

At low energies, Photoelectric reactions are more common,
while at high energies, Compton scattering is dominant.
RELATIVE FREQUENCY OF BASIC INTERACTIONS
 SUMMARY
Only two interactions are important in diagnostic radiology, the Photoelectric effect &
Compton scattering.
The Photoelectric effect is
the predominant interaction with low energy radiation & high atomic no.
absorbers.
It generates no significant scatter radiation & produces high contrast in the
x-ray image.
But, unfortunately it exposes the patient to a great deal of
radiation.
Compton scattering
is the most common interaction at higher diagnostic
energies.
responsible for almost all scatter radiation.
radiographic image contrast is less compared to photoelectric
effect.
Coherent scattering is numerically unimportant.
Pair production & Photodisintegration occur at energies above the useful
energy range.