THE PRACTICE STUDIO
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PRACTICE / Characteristic and continuous X-ray spectra
Separate a continuum edge from characteristic lines
Electrons start with negligible kinetic energy and accelerate through 25 kV before striking an X-ray target. Use hc = 1240 eV·nm.
What is the shortest possible continuum X-ray wavelength in this model?
Organize the givens & assumptions
- Accelerating voltage = 25 kV
- hc = 1240 eV·nm
Ideal bremsstrahlung endpoint: one electron can transfer at most its entire kinetic energy to one photon; target recoil is neglected. This asks the continuum cutoff, not a characteristic atomic line.
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