1On September 8th, 895, Roentgen was doing a cathode ray experiment. Cathode rays consist of an electron beam. When there is a high voltage between the electrodes located at the two ends of an almost completely vacuum closed glass tube, an electron flow will occur. The penetration of cathode rays is not particularly strong, and even air with a thickness of several centimeters is difficult to pass through. This time, Roentgen completely covered the cathode ray with thick black paper, so that even if there was current passing through, the light from the glass tube could not be seen. However, when Roentgen turned on the circuit of the cathode ray tube, he was surprised to find that a fluorescent screen (coated with a fluorescent substance, cyanoplatinum barium) on the nearby workbench began to glow, just like being excited by the induction of a lamp. He cut off the current of the cathode ray tube and the screen stopped emitting light. As the cathode ray tube was completely covered, Roentgen soon realized that when the current was switched on, there must be some invisible radiation emitted from the cathode. Because of the mysterious nature of this radiation, he called it "X-ray"-X is usually used to represent an unknown number in mathematics.

Because of this accidental discovery, Roentgen was so excited that he gave up other research work and concentrated on the nature of X-rays. After several weeks of intense work, he discovered the following facts. (1)X-rays can not only make barium cyanoplatinum fluoresce, but also make many other chemicals fluoresce. (2)X-rays can penetrate many substances that ordinary light cannot penetrate; In particular, it can directly penetrate muscles but not bones. Roentgen put his hand between the cathode ray tube and the screen, and you can see his hand bone on the screen. (3)X-rays run in a straight line. Unlike charged particles, x-rays are not cancelled by magnetic fields.

1895 65438+ In February, Roentgen wrote his first X-ray paper, which immediately aroused great interest and excitement. In just a few months, hundreds of scientists are studying X-rays and publish about 1000 papers a year! Antoine henry beck Rael is one of the scientists who studied under the direct inspiration of the invention of Roentgen. Although Bekkerel was interested in X-ray research, he accidentally discovered a more important radiation phenomenon.

Under normal circumstances, whenever an object is bombarded by high-energy electrons, it will produce X-rays. X-rays themselves are not made of electrons, but of electromagnetic waves. So this kind of radiation is basically similar to visible light radiation (that is, light waves), but the wavelength is much shorter.

Only four days after the X-ray was discovered, American doctors used it to find the bullet in the patient's leg. Entrepreneurs flocked to buy X-ray technology at a high price. 500,000,654.38+00,000, and the bid is getting higher and higher. "Even if it is100000," Roentgen replied with a faint smile, "my discovery belongs to all mankind.

I hope this discovery can be used by scientists all over the world. In this way, it will better serve mankind ... "Therefore, Roentgen did not apply for a patent right. He knows that if this technology is monopolized by big companies, the poor can't afford to take X-rays. Edison was deeply moved when he learned the news. He invented an excellent fluorescent screen for receiving X-rays, which was used in conjunction with an X-ray tube without applying for a patent.

In order to reward Roentgen's contribution to science, the Bavarian aristocratic house is going to award him a royal medal and a noble title. But Roentgen didn't want to defile his name with nobility. He ignored the malicious slander of some snobs and refused to accept this noble title Five years after Nobel's death, his Nobel Prize was awarded for the first time. Roentgen was the first person to win the physics prize. He happily accepted the Nobel Prize, but gave the prize of 50,000 Swedish kronor to the University of Fort Worth.

Of course, the most famous application of X-ray is in medical (including oral) diagnosis. Another application is radiotherapy, in which X-rays are used to eliminate malignant tumors or inhibit their growth. X-ray also has many applications in industry, for example, it can be used to measure the thickness of certain substances or detect potential defects. X-rays are also used in many scientific research fields, from biology to astronomy, especially providing scientists with a lot of information about the structure of atoms and molecules.

All the honors for discovering X-rays belong to Roentgen. He studied alone, and his discovery was unexpected. He made an excellent follow-up study on this, and his findings played an important role in promoting Bekkerel and other researchers.

The Roentgen Prize is named after German physicist wilhelm konrad rontgen to commemorate his great contribution to modern physics.