Bremsstrahlung

Bremsstrahlung is electromagnetic radiation produced by the interaction of fast electrons with the Coulomb field of the nucleus. The electron energy loss appears as a continuum of photons, largely apparent in the x-ray region.

The effect on a gamma spectrum is to raise the general background continuum making the detection of a superimposed gamma more difficult. This radiation continuum causes a considerable increase in peak background at low energy and reduces the precision of any measurement in this region.