Re: [TCML] X-rays

[Scott Bogard <teslas-intern@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I was told that natural lightning emits x-rays, of course the same 
person told me that I shouldn't look directly at it for that very reason...

Scott Bogard.

Jim Lux wrote:
> Jim Mora wrote:
>> Hello List,
>>
>>  
>>
>> Since the subject has come up, I realize the x-rays generally are 
>> largely
>> formed in a vacuum; but, what about say a 150KV flaming Jacob's 
>> ladder (ac).
>> Controlled x-rays are generally are DC driven as well but that is for a
>> controlled anode/cathode. Are there other less obvious sources of X-rays
>> from some of our higher voltage/energy experiments? High Potential
>> Ionization is the issue yes? What about outside a vacuum? 
>
>
> HV+vacuum = Xrays
>
> HV + no vacuum = no Xrays...
>
> The Xrays come from accelerating a particle to a high speed and then 
> having it hit something and stop: bremsstrahlung (braking radiation.. 
> braking as in like the brakes on your car)
>
> If the HV is in air, an ionized particle runs into other gas molecules 
> so it can't get moving fast enough.
>
> Yes, one can make Xrays in air in some  cases:
>
> 1) Get a discharge under high enough pressure and hot enough so that 
> the it's emitting X-rays as black body radiation.   Typical free 
> burning arcs are in the 5000-7000K range, and their black body 
> radiation is, as we've all observed, peaked in the visible, towards 
> the blue end.  In free burning air arcs, the air and arc expands to 
> limit the temperature.  Since radiation cooling goes as T^4, making it 
> twice as hot takes 16 times the dissipated energy.  And you need a lot 
> more than twice as hot to get Xrays
>
> 2) With a discharge that has very, very high di/dt (rate of change of 
> current), you can get xrays.  Essentially what's going on is that the 
> air heats fast enough that it can't expand, nor does it lose energy by 
> radiation quickly enough.  I can't recall the critical di/dt, but it's 
> pretty high (10 to the multiple digits)
>
>
> So, practically speaking, your ionizing radiation hazard from HV in 
> air is ultra violet radiation.
>
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