Detector assembly for detecting radiation with angular resolution and method for operating said assembly

1. A method for detecting radiation with angular resolution comprising:

providing a detector assembly, said detector assembly comprising at least one detector element having a front face and a rear face, wherein a space between the front face and the rear face of the detector element is filled with a plurality of regions of a first detector material and at least one region of a second detector material, and each region connects the front face to the rear face of the detector element, and wherein an energy deposition takes place in at least the regions of the first detector material as a function of an angle of incidence of the radiation on the detector element;

recording a spectrum of the energy deposited in the first detector material in a first energy range;

recording a spectrum of the total energy deposited in the first detector material;

determining a first energy deposited in a first energy range;

determining a second energy deposited in a second energy range; and

comparing the first deposited energy with the second deposited energy.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a Compton edge lies in the first energy range in the recorded spectrum.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising irradiating the material sample with neutrons to activate the material sample.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a preferred angle of rotation, for which the energy deposited in the first or second energy range is a maximum or a minimum; and

determining a direction of a radiation source in the material sample relative to the detector element as a function of the preferred angle of rotation.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a direction parameter as a function of the ratio of the first and second deposited energies for a plurality of detection directions, said detection direction being substantially normal to the front face of the detector element;

determining a direction of a radiation source in the material sample relative to the detector element as a function of the direction parameter.

6. A method for detecting radiation with angular resolution comprising:

providing a detector assembly, said detector assembly comprising at least one detector element having a front face and a rear face, wherein a space between the front face and the rear face of the detector element is filled with a plurality of regions of a first detector material and at least one region of a second detector material, and each region connects the front face to the rear face of the detector element, and wherein an energy deposition takes place in at least the regions of the first detector material as a function of an angle of incidence of the radiation on the detector element;

recording a spectrum of the energy deposited in the first detector material in a first energy range;

rotating the at least one detector element by at least an angle of rotation and recording a spectrum of the energy deposited in the first detector material in a first energy range for the respective angle of rotation; and

comparing the energies recorded at different angles of rotation in the first energy region.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:

recording an energy deposited in the first detector material in at least a second energy range at a plurality of angles of rotation; and

comparing the energy recorded in the first energy range and the second energy range for the plurality of angles of rotation.

8. A method for identifying nitrogen-containing explosives in material samples comprising:

providing a detector assembly, said detector assembly comprising at least one detector element having a front face and a rear face, wherein a space between the front face and the rear face of the detector element is filled with a plurality of regions of a first detector material and at least one region of a second detector material, and each region connects the front face to the rear face of the detector element, and wherein an energy deposition takes place in at least the regions of the first detector material as a function of an angle of incidence of the radiation on the detector element;

irradiating a material sample utilizing an excitation radiation source in such a way that nuclear excitations are produced in the material sample;

recording a spectrum of the energy deposited in the first detector material in a first energy range;

recording a spectrum of the total energy deposited in the first detector material;

determining a first energy deposited in a first energy range;

determining a second energy deposited in a second energy range; and

comparing the first deposited energy with the second deposited energy for determining a direction of a nitrogen-containing radiation source in the material sample relative to the detector element.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said material samples are at least one of the group of: a luggage item, a land mine or a cargo.

10. A detector assembly for detecting radiation with angular resolution comprising:

at least one detector element having a front face and a rear face;

wherein a space between the front face and the rear face of the detector element is filled with a plurality of regions of a first detector material and at least one region of a second detector material, and each region connects the front face to the rear face of the detector element;

wherein an energy deposition takes place in at least the regions of the first detector material as a function of an angle of incidence of the radiation on the detector element; and

wherein at least the regions of the first or the second detector material each form a semiconductor detector in which electrical signals can be read.

11. The detector assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the regions are formed as layers of the first detector material and the second detector material.

12. The detector assembly according to claim 10 , wherein at least the regions of the first detector material are formed of a polyhedron, a cylinder or a prism with a base area and a height, the base areas bordering on the front and rear face of the detector element.

13. The detector assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the first or the second detector material comprises an active detector material or a scintillator material.

14. The detector assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the regions of the second detector material have an absorptive effect on the radiation or particles passing through the detector element.

15. The detector assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the detector element comprises a light measurement means, which is coupled on the rear side at least to the regions of the first detector material and which integrally detects scintillation light from all regions of the first detector material.

16. The detector assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the detector element is arranged so as to be rotatable about at least one axis of rotation, the axis of rotation being substantially perpendicular to a connection between the front face and the rear face.

17. The detector assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the first and the second detector materials respond to gamma radiation at least in the energy range of Compton scattering or at a higher energy.

18. The detector assembly according to claim 10 , further comprising a neutron source for irradiating a material sample with neutrons.

19. The detector assembly according to claim 10 , comprising a plurality of detector elements, the detector elements being arranged about a position of a material sample in such a way that the front faces form a non-vanishing angle to one another.

20. The detector assembly according to claim 10 , further comprising an evaluation means being coupled to the regions of the first and the second detector material and being operable to detect a distribution of the energies deposited in the detector materials.