Editing X-ray (section)

==Properties==
[[File:Radioactive.svg|thumb|upright=0.55|Ionizing radiation hazard symbol]]

X-ray [[photon]]s carry enough energy to [[Ionization|ionize]] atoms and disrupt [[molecular bond]]s.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1016/b978-0-12-821674-3.00004-8 |chapter=Radiological devices |title=Introduction to Biomedical Instrumentation and Its Applications |date=2022 |last1=Paul |first1=Sudip |last2=Saikia |first2=Angana |last3=Majhi |first3=Vinayak |last4=Pandey |first4=Vinay Kumar |pages=169–211 |isbn=978-0-12-821674-3 }}</ref> This makes it a type of [[ionizing radiation]], and therefore harmful to living [[Tissue (biology)|tissue]]. A very high [[radiation dose]] over a short period of time causes burns and [[radiation sickness]], while lower doses can give an increased risk of [[radiation-induced cancer]]. In medical imaging, this increased cancer risk is generally greatly outweighed by the benefits of the examination.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lin |first=Eugene C. |date=2010 |title=Radiation Risk From Medical Imaging |journal=Mayo Clinic Proceedings |language=en |volume=85 |issue=12 |pages=1142–1146 |doi=10.4065/mcp.2010.0260 |pmc=2996147 |pmid=21123642}}</ref> The ionizing capability of X-rays can be used in [[Oncology|cancer treatment]] to kill [[malignant]] [[Cell (biology)|cells]] using [[radiation therapy]]. It is also used for material characterization using [[X-ray spectroscopy]].{{cn|date=December 2024}}

Hard X-rays can traverse relatively thick objects without being much [[Absorption (electromagnetic radiation)|absorbed]] or [[Scattering|scattered]]. For this reason, X-rays are widely used to [[Imaging science|image]] the inside of visually opaque objects. The most often seen applications are in medical [[radiography]] and [[airport security]] scanners, but similar techniques are also important in industry (e.g. [[industrial radiography]] and [[industrial CT scanning]]) and research (e.g. [[Preclinical imaging#Micro-CT|small animal CT]]). The [[penetration depth]] varies with several [[orders of magnitude]] over the X-ray spectrum. This allows the photon energy to be adjusted for the application so as to give sufficient [[Transmittance|transmission]] through the object and at the same time provide good [[contrast (vision)|contrast]] in the image.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

X-rays have much shorter wavelengths than visible light, which makes it possible to probe structures much smaller than can be seen using a normal [[microscope]]. This property is used in [[X-ray microscopy]] to acquire high-resolution images, and also in [[X-ray crystallography]] to determine the positions of [[atom]]s in [[crystal]]s.{{cn|date=December 2024}}