When photons, particularly X-ray photons, interact with matter, the outcomes are fundamental to how diagnostic imaging works. These interactions determine the quality of the images produced and the dose absorbed by the patient. In this three-part blog series, we’ll explore how photons behave when encountering human tissue, starting with the three primary photon interactions relevant in the diagnostic energy range: photoelectric effect, Compton scatter, and coherent scatter.

A. Photoelectric Effect: T...

Understanding the nature of the x-ray beam is essential for any radiologic technologist aiming to master both the science and the art of imaging. In this second installment on radiation physics, we go beyond the tube and into the beam itself—unpacking how it behaves, what defines its characteristics, and why its properties matter in clinical practice.

Let’s start with two fundamental descriptors of electromagnetic energy: frequency and wavelength.

Frequency and Wavelength: The Invisible Architects of ...

To Master the Console, Understand the Beam

If you want to become a radiologic technologist who operates with confidence and calm, you must first understand the world that exists inside the x-ray tube. Not just the buttons on the console, not merely the motions of positioning—but the invisible process that creates the very thing you work with every day: the x-ray beam.

Most students see physics as something distant, abstract, or overly technical. But physics is not distant. It is the foundation beneath...