E. Blain

Feasibility Studies of Parametric X‐rays Use in a Medical Environment

Parametric X‐rays (PXR) are produced from the interaction of relativistic electrons with the periodic structure of crystal materials. Smooth X‐ray energy tunability is achieved by rotating the crystal with respects to the electron beam direction. Experiments at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 60‐MeV LINAC produce quasi‐monochromatic X‐rays (6–35 keV) from various target crystals to include highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), LiF, Si, Ge, Cu, and W using electron beam currents up to 6 uA. These experiments demonstrate the first PXR images and some of the merits of thin metallic crystals. Recent experiments with a 100‐μm thick Cu crystal improve the Cu PXR (with energy ∼12 keV) to Cu fluorescence ratio by a factor of 20 compared to a 1 mm‐thick Cu crystal. This study uses Monte Carlo techniques to investigate (1) PXR dose compared to emissions from simulated Mo, Rh, and W anodes for mammography applications and (2) electron scattering effects when considering LiF111, Si111, and Cu111 PXR product...