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Combining X-Rays with other wavelengths in photography?

Started Feb 12, 2019 | Questions thread
(unknown member) Contributing Member • Posts: 617
Re: Combining X-Rays with other wavelengths in photography?
2

Hi!

X rays are tricky.  First, it is very difficult to focus them (almost impossible outside some very fancy physics labs), so you need to use a pinhole to have anything on focus, and the pinhole material needs to be thick, so probably needs to machine one.

Then, there is the efficiency problem. You need a rather strong source, since pinholes are very inefficient. And a strong source is very dangerous. The third thing is that the camera detectors (and film) are sensitive to X rays, but its sensitivity depends on the thickness of the detector (and of course, the wavelength), and in this case, none of them are particularly thick, so the efficiency drops even more...

I did my PhD in nuclear imaging (for medicine), so I had to deal with radioactive sources on a daily basis. Without training and basic security equipment (lead bricks, dosimeter, etc.), I would not advise anyone to experiment with that.

Sorry for being so negative, but in this case, better safe than sorry.

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