title: The determination of electron density by the dual-energy Compton scatter method.
abstract: The intensity of Compton scattered photons is directly proportional to the electron density of a substance; therefore it is possible to detect changes in electron density by this noninvasive method. The source-detector geometry has been varied to study the effects of geometry on the calculated electron density values, using a 90 degrees scattering angle. The dual-energy Compton scatter method provides a determination of electron density in known samples, with an uncertainty of less than 1% for the optimal geometry. The effective linear attenuation coefficient for Compton scatter has been determined with an uncertainty of 2.1%-3.6% for the optimal geometry used. The applications of the dual-energy Compton scattering technique in radiotherapy dosimetry and skeletal bone densitometry are being investigated.
mesh_terms: D004583:Electrons; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D011827:Radiation; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed