Discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Röntgen, X-rays are a type of ionizing radiation, meaning they possess sufficient energy to remove tightly bound electrons from atoms. This property allows X-rays to penetrate materials and create images of internal structures, which is particularly useful in medical diagnostics.
Laboratory-scale X-ray Tubes, Synchrotrons, and X-ray Free-Electron Lasers (XFELs)
There are primarily three types of X-ray light sources:
Laboratory-scale X-ray Tubes
Laboratory-scale X-ray tubes are the most common and widely used type of X-ray source. They generate X-rays by accelerating electrons onto a metal target, typically made of tungsten or copper, which then emit X-rays when the electrons interact with the target material.
Synchrotrons
Synchrotrons are large, circular particle accelerators that use powerful magnets to accelerate electrons to nearly the speed of light. As the electrons are bent by the magnets, they emit a broad spectrum of X-rays, which can be used for a variety of applications, including materials science, biology, and medical research.
X-ray Free-Electron Lasers (XFELs)
X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) are a relatively new and highly specialized type of X-ray source. They use a linear particle accelerator to generate a high-energy, highly coherent beam of X-rays, which can be used to study the structure and dynamics of materials at the atomic and molecular scale.