Precision measurements of linear scattering density using muon tomography

Abstract

A: We demonstrate that muon tomography can be used to precisely measure the properties of various materials. The materials which have been considered have been extracted from an experimental blast furnace, including carbon (coke) and iron oxides, for which measurements of the linear scattering density relative to the mass density have been performed with an absolute precision of 10%. We report the procedures that are used in order to obtain such precision, and a discussion is presented to address the expected performance of the technique when applied to heavier materials. The results we obtain do not depend on the specific type of material considered and therefore they can be extended to any application.

Exploring the Capability of Muon Scattering Tomography for Imaging the Components in the Blast Furnace

“…its position and direction, can be used to compute the LSD (linear scattering density, nominated as λ) by applying the MLEM (Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization) algorithm. 13,16) The data from the physical analysis of the samples can be used to compute the bulk densities, ρ bd , of the samples. According to 13) the LSD is directly proportional to the bulk density, as shown in Eq.…”

Muography of different structures using muon scattering and absorption algorithms

“…The deviation angle projected on a plane passing through the incoming muon direction has a distribution which is approximately Gaussian for particles of the same momentum, with zero mean and a root-meansquare (σ ) which is a function of the muon momentum p, of the material thickness X and of the radiation length X 0 according to the formula [29]: σ ≈ 13. 6 MeV pc…”

INFN muon tomography demonstrator: past and recent results with an eye to near-future activities

“…The material to be measured was extracted from an experimental blast furnace during activities related to the European project MU-Blast. 2 Additional calibration samples were also measured [6], which were stored in 4.7 l plastic buckets. The lightest calibration samples were water and coke, and the heaviest were iron oxides, with a range of LSD of λ = 1.30 rad 2 m −1 (coke) to λ = 13.65 rad 2 m −1 (haematite).…”

“…which depends on the inverse of the muon momentum, as well as the material thickness X and radiation length X 0 , σ ≈ 13. 6 MeV pc…”

“…Acknowledgements. Our gratitude to our colleagues at the University of Brescia for their help in GEANT4 simulations and at the other institutions collaborating with us to publish Benettoni et al [5] and Aström et al [6] (see footnote 2). Our deep appreciation for their work goes to Lorenzo Barcellan and all the INFN technicians who made available the Muon Tomography Station.…”