Question

To obtain monochromatic x-rays from copper one must avoid or eliminate the Kβ to obtain only Kα. One possible method is to use an electron energy above the Kα critical value of ~8.0 keV, but below the Kβ critical value of ~8.9 keV. Instead a potential energy of 40-50 keV is typically used, with a filter to remove the Kβ. Explain why this might be better than the first method.

Answer 1

If electron energies of a value between 0-8 keV and 8.9 keV are used to produce rays, then the resulting waves will have low energy. For medical purposes, it becomes unsuitable as low energy x-rays ( typically less than 30 keV) produce poor images for diagnostics purposes since most of them are absorbed in the patient's soft tissues. There is also evidence to support that this low energy wave might have a role in the development of cancerous tissues (stochastic effect) or tissue reaction (non-stochastic effect). Hence, the second method is more suitable as it produces x-rays of high energy, blocking the low energy components at the same time.