continuous X ray

Bremsstrahlung, a German term meaning "braking radiation," refers to electromagnetic radiation produced when charged particles, typically electrons, suddenly slow down or change direction near the strong electric fields of atomic nuclei. This process is responsible for continuous X-ray spectra, where X-ray energies span a range from a maximum value downwards.1

In an X-ray tube, electrons hitting a metal target can be stopped by a nucleus, converting all their kinetic energy into a single X-ray photon of maximum energy. Other electrons may be deflected multiple times, with each deflection emitting a lower-energy photon. Bremsstrahlung also occurs in cosmic rays and radioactive beta decay. X-rays themselves were discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen and are a form of electromagnetic radiation used extensively in medical imaging due to their ability to penetrate soft tissues more easily than bones.123