to become an excited atom. Then ejecting the inner-shell electron causing it to become a photoelectron leaving a space in the inner shell. The excess energy is being emitted as characteristic radiation or Auger electrons.
This now means an electron from the outer shell has to fill that space in the inner shell.
Secondary energy then occurs when an equal energy amount to the binding energy differences of the two shells in the exchange is given off. In the space created in the outer shell is filled with a higher energy electron, this produces another secondary energy exchange. The exchanges continue to occur leading to secondary x-rays or characteristic x-rays to be produced until a higher energy level does not exist in providing another electron. The characteristic x-ray and photoelectrons may cause ionization to other atoms nearby without contributing to the personnel exposure or scatter fog on the film. This interaction does result in the complete absorption of primary x-ray, photoelectron, and secondary x-rays in the patient. So the higher the dosage given the higher contrast on the
radiograph.
In order for the primary x-ray to absorb the atomic number of atoms in which the primary x-rays interact and the energy of the primary. The photoelectric equation to find energies is Ei=Eb+Eke. Ei is for the incident x-ray energy photons, Eb for the electrons binding energy, and Eke for the photoelectric kinetic energy. So when the atomic number increases, usually occurs within bone, the photoelectric interaction increases also. And when the primary x-ray energy increases the photoelectric interaction will end up decreasing. For the binding energy in the K shell electrons is Iodine (z=53) with a 33 KeV, with a sharp increase in the interaction of the photons occurs when the energy of the x-ray photons exceeds the 33 Kev. Some of the important binding energies are Oxygen (z=8) with a 0.5 KeV, Calcium (z=10) with a 4 KeV, Barium (z=56) with a 37 KeV, and Lead (z=82) with an 88 KeV. If the x-ray photon energy is fifty KeV or lower, the interaction will occur better then if the Kev is greater than fifty the photon will have too much energy and create scatter which could lead to it going through another interaction or just keep colliding into another electron.