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On the significance of very small angle scattered radiation to radiographic imaging at low energies
Author(s) -
Muntz E. P.,
Fewell T.,
Jennings R.,
Bernstein H.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.595360
Subject(s) - radiography , medical imaging , computed radiography , medical physics , optics , radiation , dosimetry , nuclear medicine , physics , medicine , radiology , nuclear physics , computer science , image quality , computer vision , image (mathematics)
We have studied the angular distribution of scattered radiation at low energies for angles between 2° and 15° from the outward normal to the exit surface of several phantoms, with 1° resolution. A cryogenically cooled germanium detector was used to measure the spectra of the scattered radiation. The differential scattering fluences, or numbers of photons per unit solid angle per unit surface area, exhibit distinct peaks at angles in the vicinity of 5°, with the angular position being only slightly energy dependent but very material dependent. The scattered spectra show large changes as a function of angle, in some cases actually becoming harder than the exit unscattered beam. The significance of this behavior relative to the imaging of targets in mammography examinations is discussed.