title: The practical peak voltage of diagnostic X-ray generators.
abstract: A new quantity termed the "practical peak voltage" is proposed. This quantity is derived by equating the low level contrast in an exposure made with an X-ray tube connected to a generator delivering any arbitrary wave form, to the contrast produced by the same X-ray tube connected to a constant potential generator. Out of the great number of possible contrast configurations one is selected as being suitable for diagnostic radiology. By means of an eigenvalue problem a direct link is established between the electrical quantity X-ray tube voltage and the practical peak voltage which was initially defined through the properties of the X-ray field. It is shown that the spread in total X-ray tube filtration as encountered in medical diagnostic radiology can influence the result of a measurement of the practical peak voltage only marginally.
authors.affiliation: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Selbach
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Iles
mesh_terms: D004560:Electricity; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D011859:Radiography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013679:Technology, Radiologic; D009626:Terminology as Topic