Abstract
Is average atomic mass or average atomic number more appropriate to describe backscattered electron (BSE) effects in electron-solid interactions? In electron microprobe literature, either one or both of the terms A and Z may be found utilized in various theoretical models to describe electron backscattering. Physical theory would seem to favor atomic number averaging, because backscattering ultimately represents an electromagnetic interaction between the electron and the nucleus. At this scale, mass and its associated property of gravity, is 10 times less powerful than the electromagnetic force. Nonetheless, some empirical results show a strong relation between atomic mass and electron scattering, thus endorsing mass averaging.The periodic table presents an opportunity for distinguishing between these two influences: those pairs of elements for which an increase in Z yields a decrease in average A (e.g., Ar-39.95 and K-39.10; Co-58.93 and Ni-58.71; Te-127.60 and 1-126.90) due to natural isotope abundances.
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