Radiation Protection Glossary

A radiation protection glossary for Radiation Protection Supervisors (RPS) and anyone interesting in radiation safety terminology. The glossary is a mixture of health physics terms, and phrases related to radiation legislation, transport, practical safety and similar.

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X-ray Fluorescence (XRF)

Published: Oct 15, 2018

If an Element is irradiated by X-Rays it is possible to transfer their energy to the orbital Electron. The electrons move up an 'energy level' in the process. As these energised electrons fall back to their normal state, energy is released in the form of characteristic discrete x-ray Photons which are unique to the element in question. The process is used in analytical techniques where element identification is required.

Physics is really nothing more than a search for ultimate simplicity, but so far all we have is a kind of elegant messiness

– Bill Bryson