What is meant by x-rays are polyenergetic?

Polyenergetic radiation: X-rays consist of photons with a wide range of energy.

X-rays are commonly categorized into various energy ranges based on their application and penetration capabilities.

1. Soft X-rays: These typically have an energy range of approximately 0.1 to 10 Kiloelectron-Volts (keV). Their lower energy and longer wavelength allow them to be primarily utilized in medical imaging of soft tissues and organs because they are readily absorbed by dense materials like bones.

2. Intermediate X-rays: The energy range of intermediate X-rays falls approximately between 10 and 100 keV. This energy range finds its use in mammography, specialized medical imaging for examining breast tissue.

3. Hard X-rays: Hard X-rays have an energy range typically from 100 keV up to several Megaelectron-Volts (MeV). Their significantly higher penetrating power makes them valuable for inspecting thicker and denser specimens and materials in industrial uses, like radiography for flaw detection or imaging bones in humans where denser tissue is of interest. These are also employed in radiotherapy for deep-seated tumors.

X-rays are termed polyenergetic because, unlike lasers, they do not deliver radiation at a single specific wavelength or energy. The generation process in both X-ray tubes and synchrotron facilities, including bremsstrahlung and characteristic X-rays, results in a continuous spectrum of energies within specified ranges depending on the source and target material involved.