[ RadSafe ] 10 rem from lightning??

[Baumbaugh, Joel T CIV SPAWARSYSCEN-PACIFIC, 55430]

Of course you don't need a vacuum for Bremsstrahlung x-rays Ted...
Whether its generated from the plasma or (I'm guessing) mostly Compton
collisions w/air (elastic scattering w/molecular nitrogen)...

 

Joel Baumbaugh

SSC-Pacific

San Diego, CA

 

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Ted de Castro
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 5:43 PM
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] 10 rem from lightning??

 

I think is it incredibly unlikely that you could get x-rays from
lightning!

 

You get x-rays from energetic x-rays striking a target and one way the 

electrons get energetic is by "falling" through a potential IN VACUUM!

 

When the electrons are conducted through a potential - even when the 

conductor is a plasma - there is resistance that evenly distributes the 

energy along the path of conductance and thus the electrons never reach 

a very high energy.

 

No vacuum - no x-rays.