USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

James D Kurfess

Bernard F Phlips

W Neil Johnson

Richard Kroeger

A device for determining the photon energy E and direction cone angle of incident gamma ray includes a radiation detector for receiving an incident gamma ray having an unknown photon energy E and an unknown direction and for scattering the gamma ray with two Compton scattering interactions and a subsequent scattering or absorption interaction. The detector provides three outputs, each output corresponding to one of the Compton scattering and the subsequent scattering or absorption interactions, to a processor, which is programmed to calculate the photon energy E and direction cone angle of the incident gamma ray based on these outputs. The detector configuration, for example one that includes multiple detector layers, provides an accurate determination of both the position and energy of the incident gamma ray, while the calculation of the photon energy E and direction cone angle of the incident gamma ray does not require absorption and measurement of the entire or substantially all the energy E in the detector.

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Gambrills, MD, United States of America

James D Kurfess