SCATTERING OF 60 KEV PHOTONS BY BIOLOGICAL-MATERIAL AND INFLUENCE IN DIAGNOSTIC-RADIOLOGY

The angular and energy distributions of photons scattered by water, mu scle tissue, and bone were measured at the Physics Institute of the Un iversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro using a Ge-detector and a Am-241 source of 59.54 keV radiation. Single and double scattering were inves tigated on samples up to 16 cm in diameter. The results were compared with theoretical calculations of Rayleigh (elastic) and Compton (inela stic) scattering, assuming a simple model for the scattering geometry. The overall agreement between model and experimental results for soft tissue and water allows quantitative predictions based on a simple eq uation. Some applications are presented. (C) 1996 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.