Patent ID: 6337482
Filing Date: 2002-01-08
Classification: G01T

Abstract:
A method for spectrally resolved detection of ionizing radiation in a detector comprising a chamber filled with an ionizable substance, and including a first and a second electrode arrangement, a radiation entrance, an electron avalanche amplification means, and a read-out arrangement, said method comprising:introducing a radiation beam into the chamber between and substantially in parallel with the first and second electrode arrangements, for ionization of the ionizable substance, said radiation beam comprising a broadband spectrum of radiation; and avalanche amplification of electrons created during ionization; by means of the read-out arrangement separately detecting electron avalanches, and/or correspondingly produced ions, SX1, SX2, . . . SXN, derivable mainly from ionization in sections, X1, X2, . . . , XN, of the chamber that are separated in the direction of the introduced radiation beam; providing spectrally resolved absorption data for absorption of said broadband radiation in said ionizable substance; from the absorption data deducing weighting factors, W11, W21, . . . , WM1, W12, W22, . . . , WM2, . . . , W1N, W2N, . . . , WMN, for different spectral components, E1, E2, . . . , EM, of said broadband radiation and for different of said separated sections, X1, X2, . . . , XN, of the chamber; and by means of said detected electron avalanches and/or correspondingly produced ions, SX1, SX2, . . . SXN, derivable mainly from ionization in different sections of the chamber, and said weighting factors deducing the respective detected electron avalanches, and/or correspondingly produced ions, SE1, SE2, . . . SEM, that are derivable from ionization by the respective spectral component of said broadband radiation.