Diagnostic X-ray beams are created as a spectrum of energies due to which interaction?

• A. Coherent
• B. Bremsstrahlung
• C. Compton
• D. Characteristic

Answer: (B)

Bremsstrahlung, or braking radiation, is responsible for the continuous X-ray beam. When fast electrons are decelerated in the strong electric field of the target nucleus, they emit photons. The amount of energy lost in each encounter varies, so photons are produced with a broad range of energies, creating a spectrum. The maximum photon energy matches the incident electron’s kinetic energy (set by the tube voltage). In contrast, characteristic radiation comes from specific electron transitions and appears only at fixed energies, not as a continuous spectrum. Coherent scattering is elastic and doesn’t shape the primary beam’s energy distribution, and Compton scattering involves energy loss after the photon is produced, not the main way the primary beam is formed.