Use of Elementary Particle Interactions for Radiological Imaging

The potential for the use of inelastic high energy particle reactions to produce radiological images is discussed. This technique promises image quality comparable to that of computerized axial tomography at a fraction of the radiation exposure. In addition, the comparison of coherently produced events to the total inelastic cross section should allow a probe of the chemical composition (i.e., average Z) of the material being studied. The performance of this technique is reviewed and some preliminary results using a 5 GeV/c π- beam at SLAC are presented.