Coherent scatter in radiographic imaging: a Monte Carlo simulation study

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Abstract
The significance of coherently scattered radiation in radiographic imaging is investigated using the Monte Carlo simulation technique. Recent data on the form factor of liquid water, which take into account intermolecular interference effects, have been used for the calculation of the coherent differential cross section. The spatial distribution of scattered radiation in the detection plane was calculated separately for coherent and incoherent single and multiple scattering. In the pencil beam geometry, it is found that coherent scattering leaving the object, (a) is almost exclusively single scattering, (b) is concentrated near but not exactly at the transmitted primary beam and (c) dominates over multiple incoherent scattering in this region even for thick objects and polyenergetic radiation. Some consequences concerning the performance of grids, the choice of phantom materials and a new imaging method are given.