Electron Bombardment: Safety Check for X-Rays?

[yipyap777]

Hi
Lets say i had a vacuum and was fireing electrons at 15kv at a piece of wood or glass. Is there any danger of xrays from the electron bombardment or does this only occur when they hit hard metals?

Cheers
Nick

 

[Astronuc]

Look at the binding energies of the K,L-shells of the constituent elements (atoms). Those will be the characteristics X-rays from glass or wood. There will be some brehmsstrahlung radiation.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/tables/kxray.html

http://xdb.lbl.gov/Section1/Table_1-2.pdf
http://xdb.lbl.gov/Section1/Table_1-3.pdf
http://xdb.lbl.gov/Section1/Sec_1-8.pdf

It seems that X-rays would have energyies mostly less the 1 or 2 keV.

This is low X-ray or high UV. So do use protection.

 

[yipyap777]

Thanks so much for you input.
Lets say i can get the voltage down to 10kv, it should fall in the realm of safe working without having to protect myself from xrays?

 

[yipyap777]

also is there any material that we could use to cause a slower decent rate of the electrons, eg wood, glass ?? which is better?

 

[Astronuc]

Thanks so much for you input.
Lets say i can get the voltage down to 10kv, it should fall in the realm of safe working without having to protect myself from xrays?

The X-rays are characteristic of the transition levels of each element. Even at 10 kV, one would still get the same X-rays energies which are less than 10 kV, but there would be fewer of them.

also is there any material that we could use to cause a slower decent rate of the electrons, eg wood, glass ?? which is better?

What is it that one is trying to do?

Electrons are used for many different tasks, from diffraction, to electron microscopy, to welding, to . . . .

 

[yipyap777]

i would like to create a beam of light through argon gas using electrons. Similar to the crooks tube, but without the phosphorus coating on the side of the tube.

I have seen them built without the coating.. just using gas instead.