Bratsioon

Bratsioon is the Estonian term for braking radiation, also known as bremsstrahlung, the electromagnetic radiation produced when a charged particle, typically an electron, is decelerated or deflected by the electromagnetic field of atomic nuclei or electrons. The name comes from the German Bremsstrahlung, meaning braking radiation, and is used in Estonian physics and related fields.

Mechanism and spectrum: As the charged particle slows or changes direction, it emits photons. The radiation forms a continuous spectrum, unlike line spectra from atomic transitions. The intensity and spectral shape depend on the particle energy, the charge of the particle, and the atomic number of the medium; higher-Z materials produce more bremsstrahlung. In relativistic regimes, angular distribution is strongly forward-peaked.

Applications and contexts: Bremsstrahlung is a principal mechanism for X-ray production in X-ray tubes and is an important background in high-energy physics experiments. It also occurs in astrophysical plasmas, such as the hot accretion flows around compact objects. In measurements, the bremsstrahlung spectrum is used to infer properties of the emitting material and particle energies.

History and theory: Early theoretical treatments were developed in the 20th century; Bethe and Heitler provided a quantum-mechanical description of bremsstrahlung in 1934. The concept remains central to radiation physics, shielding design, and spectroscopy.