Patent ID: 7949097
Filing Date: 2011-05-24
Classification: G01V

Abstract:
1. A method of identifying a material in a target, comprising: a) illuminating at least a portion of the target with an incident photon beam with a continuous energy spectrum comprising multiple energies; b) for at least one preselected scattered photon energy range comprising energies of at least some photons scattered from a material of interest in a Pygmy Resonance energy region, measuring in at least one detector oriented to view at least a portion of the target at a preselected angle a number of photons scattered from said target in said preselected Pygmy-Resonance-scattered photon energy range; c) for at least one preselected scattered photon energy range not comprising energies of photons scattered from said material of interest in the Pygmy Resonance energy region, measuring in said at least one detector oriented to view at least said portion of the target at said preselected angle a number of photons scattered from said target in said preselected non-Pygmy-Resonance-scattered photon energy range; and d) based upon the numbers of photons measured in said at least one detector, in said at least one preselected Pygmy-Resonance-scattered photon energy range, and upon the numbers of photons measured in said at least one detector, in said at least one preselected non-Pygmy-Resonance-scattered photon energy range, determining that the material of interest is present in the target.