Bremsstrahlung

Bremsstrahlung (from German: bremsen "to brake" and Strahlung "radiation"; i.e., "braking radiation" or "deceleration radiation") is electromagnetic radiation produced by the deceleration of a charged particle when deflected by another charged particle, typically an electron by an atomic nucleus. The moving particle loses kinetic energy, which is converted into a photon because energy is conserved. The term is also used to refer to the process of producing the radiation.

Bremsstrahlung has a continuous spectrum, which becomes more intense and whose peak intensity shifts toward higher frequencies as the change of the energy of the decelerated particles increases.

Mechanism of Bremsstrahlung

Bremsstrahlung can occur whenever a charged particle is deflected by another charged particle, typically an electron by an atomic nucleus. The moving particle loses kinetic energy, which is converted into a photon because energy is conserved. The term is also used to refer to the process of producing the radiation.

Bremsstrahlung in Different Fields

Bremsstrahlung radiation is produced in high-energy impacts of electrons with atomic nuclei and is thus a product of X-ray tubes, which produce X-rays by accelerating electrons into a metal target. In addition, bremsstrahlung is a mechanism by which energy is lost in plasmas. This radiation is often overlooked in the presence of stronger spectral lines, but it becomes significant when the plasma is either hot or dense.

Bremsstrahlung in Nuclear Physics

In nuclear physics, bremsstrahlung is important because it is the predominant mechanism of photon production in high-energy nuclear reactions. The photons produced in this manner form a continuous spectrum of high-energy photons.

Bremsstrahlung in Astrophysics

In astrophysics, bremsstrahlung is one of the mechanisms by which energy is lost in a plasma. It is the dominant mechanism in the outer (radiative) zone of a star. The core of a star is convective, not radiative, and bremsstrahlung is not the dominant energy loss mechanism there.

See Also

• Synchrotron radiation
• Cherenkov radiation
• Cyclotron radiation
• Free-electron laser