Patent ID: 8284900

Claim:
An x-ray tube assembly comprising: a vacuum enclosure comprising: a cathode portion; a target portion; and a throat portion comprising: a magnetic field section comprising an upstream end and a downstream end, the magnetic field section having a first susceptibility to generate eddy currents in the presence of a magnetic field intensity; an upstream section having a first end and a second end, the first end coupled to the cathode portion and the second end coupled to the upstream end of the magnetic field section, wherein the upstream section has a second susceptibility to generate eddy currents in the presence of the magnetic field intensity; a downstream section having a first end and a second end, the first end coupled to the downstream end of the magnetic field section, wherein the downstream section has a third susceptibility to generate eddy currents in the presence of the magnetic field intensity; and wherein the first susceptibility to generate eddy currents is less than the second and third susceptibilities to generate eddy currents; a target positioned within the target portion of the vacuum enclosure; and a cathode positioned within the cathode portion of the vacuum enclosure, the cathode configured to emit a stream of electrons toward the target.