Monte Carlo simulation of bremsstrahlung emission by electrons

The basic components of Monte Carlo simulation of bremsstrahlung emission by electrons are presented. Various theoretical cross-sections that have been used in Monte Carlo codes are described and the emphasis is on the more accurate partial-wave cross-sections for which numerical databases are available. Sampling algorithms for a combination of numerical scaled energy-loss cross-sections and various analytical approximations to the intrinsic angular distribution are presented. Analogue simulation of the energy spectra and angular distribution of X rays from targets irradiated by electron beams is very inefficient and a simple variance-reduction technique, which is easy to implement and has proven to be particularly effective in speeding up these simulations, is described. Results from simulations of X-ray spectra with the general-purpose Monte Carlo code penelope are compared with experimental data for different materials and incident electrons with energies in the 20 keV to 1 GeV energy range.