23 Radiography
23.1 Introduction
While light propagates freely in a vacuum, air or glass, it is stopped by very thin layers of opaque materials such as metal, paper and human tissue. Other forms of radiation have greater penetration and include alpha (α) and beta (β) particles, gamma (γ) and X-rays, as well as cosmic rays and neutrons. Some relevant properties are given in Table 23.1. Radiology is the study of these ionizing radiations and their effects, while radiography covers techniques of recording images produced directly or indirectly by their action (Barrett and Swindell, 1981; Roberts and Smith, 1988).
Traditional applications are in industry and medicine (Tupholme, 1945; Kodak, 1972), but other uses range from biology to art conservation ...
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