Evaluation of Bremsstrahlung Cross Sections at the High-Frequency Limit

Abstract

Recent experimental values for the bremsstrahlung cross section near the high-frequency limit with electron energies from 0.05 to 15 Mev and with target atomic numbers from 13 to 79 are compared with theoretical estimates. Calculations made to lowest order in $\frac{Z}{137}$ show large differences with the experimental results for large $Z$. Improved estimates, derived by detailed balancing arguments from more accurate photoelectric cross sections, agree reasonably well with the experimental results throughout the indicated range of electron energies and atomic numbers.