X-ray (source code)
= X-ray
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<X-rays> are high-<frequency> <electromagnetic radiation>, conventionally with <wavelengths> of roughly $0.01$ to $10\,\mathrm{nm}$. The precise <wavelength> convention varies with context. Hot accreting <gas> and energetic electronic processes can emit <X-rays>, whose short <wavelengths> make them useful probes of compact objects and <electron shells>.
For a <photon>, $E=h\nu=hc/\lambda$, where $h$ is the <Planck constant> and $c$ is the <speed of light>. As a calculated example, $\lambda=0.10\,\mathrm{nm}$ gives $E\simeq12.4\,\mathrm{keV}$, using $hc\simeq1.23984\,\mathrm{keV\,nm}$. The same <wavelength> can describe different production mechanisms: <bremsstrahlung> produces a continuous <frequency spectrum>, whereas <Characteristic X-rays> arise from discrete electronic changes in <chemical atoms>. Measuring transmitted <X-rays> gives <radiography>; measuring their <frequency spectrum> gives <spectroscopy>.
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