Dependence of scatter on atomic number for x rays from tungsten and molybdenum anodes in the mammographic energy range

A study was done to determine the relative amounts of scatter for the, foll owing materials with atomic numbers ranging from Z=6 to Z=82. C, Al, Ti, Fe , Cu, Zr, Y, Mo, Ta, and Pb. Measurements were performed for each material on two constant potential ri-ray units-one fitted with a molybdenum (Mo) an ode-Mo filter and the other with a tungsten (W) anode-aluminum (Al) filter (medium filtration) at 30 kVp. Theoretical calculations were also performed for each anode to explain the scatter behavior and to aid in predicting th e behavior for materials where measurements were not made. There was good a greement between the theoretical calculations and the experimental data. (C ) 1999 American Association of Physicists in Medicine. [S0094-2405(99)00807 -X].