A fast quantitative model for the energy spectra of radiation emitted by X-ray tubes is described, handling thin as well as thick plane targets of arbitrary materials. The developed model is based on fundamental interaction cross sections, describing electron and photon transport via numerical integration of discretized distributions. While the focus lies on bremsstrahlung production, modeling of characteristic radiation is fully integrated. The model does not include any free parameters. The validity of the model is shown through comparison with measurements and Monte Carlo simulations for several combinations of target material and acceleration potential between 30 kV and 450 kV.
A model is discussed which describes the generation of X-rays in conventional tubes using tabulated bremsstrahlung energy spectra depending on three variables: the target atomic number, the incident electron kinetic energy, and the fraction of energy radiated. Additionally a parameter-free description of the characteristic radiation is included. The constructed model includes technical tube parameters like kilovoltage, target material, and angles of electron incidence and photon emission to also account for self-absorption in the target, as well as radiographic parameters like filtering. In order to verify model results, detector response is also considered. The validity of the proposed model is shown by measurements. Future work includes the extension of the model to transmission targets. This research was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology under contract MNPQ transfer II D 5-30/06.