X-ray–induced electron emission from thin gold foils

Electrons of various energies are emitted when thin gold foils (0.19–0.95 mg/cm2 thick) are irradiated by monoenergetic x rays in the range 1.5–8 keV. In this experiment, the total electron yield, the high-energy electron yield, and the low-energy secondary electron yield are measured as a function of foil thickness, target angle, and x-ray energy. The total electron yield from a 7.62 ×10−4-cm-thick beryllium foil plated with 0.019 mg/cm2 of gold was also measured.