Five X-Ray Interactions with Matter: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Photoelectric Effect Compton Scattering Pair Production Coherent / Rayleigh / Thomson / Classical Scattering 5. Photodisintegration

4. Coherent Scattering - the incident photon undergoes a change in direction without a change in wavelength. It occurs when the x-ray photon interacts with the whole atom so that the photon is scattered with no change in internal energy to the scattering atom, nor to the x-ray photon. This type of scattering is never more than a minor contributor to the absorption coefficient. The scattering occurs without the loss of energy. Scattering is mainly in the forward direction. This effect is minor to when related to absorption, but is the primary effect which makes x-ray diffraction possible. Notice in this diagram that the direction of the photon is changed but the wavelength remains the same.

5. Photodisintegration - the process by which the x-ray photon is captured by the nucleus of the atom with the ejection of a particle from the nucleus when all the energy of the x-ray is given to the nucleus. Because of the enormously high energies involved, this process may be neglected for the energies of x-rays. It is the process harnessed in the development of nuclear fission. In other word, it is a collision of a high energy photon with an atomic nucleus. The photon is completely absorbed in the process, and a neutron, proton, or alpha particle is ejected from the excited nucleus. It needs at least 10 MeV for photodisintegration. This is more energy than a normal x-ray. This diagram shows an x-ray interacting with the nucleus of an atom and expelling a piece of the nucleus.