Table 3166a lists the main characteristics (energy loss and scattering semiangle) of the four most common energy-loss processes when an incident electron beam is interacting with materials. However, in general, the intensities of all the energy-loss processes decrease with increase of scattering semiangles θ.

Table 3166a. Main characteristics of the four most common energy-loss processes.

For EELS measurements, inelastic scattering events with energy losses up to ~2 keV are experimentally intense enough to be useful.

Table 3166b. Properties of various EELS energy ranges.