Development of gas microstrip detectors for digital X-ray imaging and radiation dosimetry

Our recent work in the application of gas microstrip detector (GMD) technology to the fields of digital X-ray imaging and radiation dosimetry is described. The GMD can measure the position and the energy of individual photons at the high counting rates encountered in X-ray imaging. GMD based imaging systems have high detective quantum efficiency and permit improvement of image quality and contrast using display windowing and measured energy information. Results are presented on the performance of a prototype GMD imaging system operated with a xenon/methane 90/10 gas mixture at 1 atmosphere. Results are also presented on the performance of a GMD filled with tissue equivalent gases for applications in the field of radiation dosimetry in mixed neutron and /spl gamma/ fields. The results show that the GMD can be used for dosimetric discrimination between different types of radiation in mixed field environments.