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The total absorption coefficient is a specific measure of the attenuation of electromagnetic radiation, focusing solely on the absorption component of the attenuation process. It quantifies how much energy from the radiation is absorbed by the medium per unit distance traveled. This coefficient does not include scattering effects, which are part of the more general attenuation coefficient.

Mathematically, the total absorption coefficient \((\alpha)\) is defined as:

\[ \alpha = \frac{1}{d} \ln \left(\frac{I_0}{I}\right) \]

where:

  • \(d\) is the thickness of the medium,
  • \(I_0\) is the intensity of the incident radiation,
  • \(I\) is the intensity of the transmitted radiation.

This coefficient is crucial for understanding how materials absorb electromagnetic waves, impacting fields such as spectroscopy, radiography, and communications.

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