mass attenuation coefficient

The mass attenuation coefficient is a measure of how effectively a material can reduce or weaken a beam of radiation, such as X-rays or gamma rays, as it passes through. It considers both how likely the radiation is to interact with the material and how dense the material is. A higher value means the material is better at absorbing or scattering the radiation, making it useful for shielding or medical imaging. Essentially, it helps us compare different materials’ abilities to block or attenuate radiation on a per-mass basis.