X-RAY
TUBE
Accident:
Do you know this, first
x-rays were produced by accident, a by-product emission from gas discharge tubes.
Unknowingly high voltage applied between anode and cathode of the tube accelerates
the ionized atoms of the gas into the metal cathode. This releases high energy
electrons and when these electrons hit the glass of the tube,x-Rays are
emitted.
X-Rays emission
process:
X-Ray tubes are the
same physical processes but here cathode is especially made for parallel beam
of electrons is emitted through a window. Metal target produces both continuum
of X-rays and a line spectrum.
William Coolidge:
William Coolidge
inventor and physicist working for general electric. He worked on the
properties of ductile tungsten and he was also interested on x-rays. He decided
to try using tungsten as the target anode of the discharge tube. It named
Coolidge tube.
Coolidge tube:
Coolidge tube was gas
free and had a high temperature tungsten cathode (tungsten melts at 3410 degree
C).These new tube produced an intense, stable and controllable beam of X-rays.
William Coolidge was patented for this x-rays emission tubes supply to various
fields.
Source of article:
1001 INVENTIONS THAT
CHANGED THE WORLD-Preface by Trevor Baylis and General
Editor Jack Challoner..
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