One-sided imaging of large, dense objects using the 511 keV photons from induced pair production

The use of annihilation photons from photon-induced electron-positron pair production as a means of inspecting objects when only one side is accessible is described. The Z2 dependence of the pair production cross section and the high penetration of 511 keV photons suggest that this method should be capable of localizing high Z materials in lower Z matrices. The experimental results for the dependence of the back streaming photon yield on Z indicate that dynamic ranges of the order of 20 may be obtained for materials with 4 < Z < 82. Results for point to point images obtained in line scans of representative geometries are also shown. Simulation studies based on the EGS4 Monte Carlo code were also performed and their results show an agreement with experimental data of the order of 5%.