Physics, Techniques and ProceduresIonizing radiation
radiation which is able to produce ions via the
photoelectric effect,
Compton scattering or
pair production or the interaction of particles. As the atomic ionization energy is of the order of a few electron volts (eV), rays having an energy of over a few tens of electron volts are ionizing (ionization energy of
hydrogen H : 13.6 eV), while visible light has energies in the range of 1 eV and thus is not ionizing. In imaging, the ionizing radiations are X-rays and gamma rays as well as particle rays resulting from
radioactive decay. These rays have energies ranging from 10 keV up to the high energy rays found in
cosmic radiation which are in the 10 MeV (mega electron volt) range.
GvS