Mass Attenuation Coefficient and Conversion to Linear Attenuation Coefficient
Since a linear attenuation coefficient is dependent on the density of a material, the mass attenuation coefficient is often reported for convenience. Consider water for example. The linear attenuation for water vapor is much lower than it is for ice because the molecules are more spread out in vapor so the chance of a photon encounter with a water particle is less. Normalizing m by dividing it by the density of the element or compound will produce a value that is constant for a particular element or compound. This constant (m/r) is known as the mass attenuation coefficient and has units of cm2/gm.
To convert a mass attenuation coefficient (m/r) to a linear attenuation coefficient (m), simply multiply it by the density (r) of the material.
Conversion
Use of Linear Attenuation Coefficients
One use of linear attenuation coefficients is for selecting a radiation energy that will produce the most contrast between particular materials in a radiograph. Say, for example, that it is necessary to detect tungsten inclusions in iron. It can be seen from the graphs of linear attenuation coefficients versus radiation energy, that the maximum separation between the tungsten and iron curves occurs at around 100keV. At this energy the difference in attenuation between the two materials is the greatest so the radiographic contrast will be maximized.