A brief history of X-rays
last modified
21-11-2008 09:07
| In 1895, W.C. Röntgen discovered mysterious rays capable
of passing through the human body. Because of their unknown nature, he called
them X-rays.
X-rays are actually electromagnetic waves situated between ultraviolet light and gamma rays on the wavelength scale. Their wavelength is comparable to interatomic distances. In 1912 M. von Laue and P. Knipping obtained the first diffraction pattern of a crystal using X-rays. In 1953, the structure of DNA was solved by J. Watson, a biologist, and F. Crick, a physicist, thanks to the use of X-rays. |
| Although these results were remarkable, the X-ray tubes were limited: the light was emitted in all directions with no possibility of focusing it or making the rays parallel. This light was also only intense on particular wavelengths, which restricted its use, particularly in the field of spectroscopy. | Röntgen |
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