ABSTRACT
Compton cameras are one of the tools employed for gamma-ray imaging. In these devices, at least two distinguishable photon interactions are required, the first one being Compton scattering. The kinematics of the Compton effect provides information about the photon origin for each event and the combination of many events yields the source distribution. Image reconstruction algorithms specifically developed for each detector configuration improve image quality. In the 1960s and 1970s, the first Compton imaging systems were proposed for gamma-ray astronomy. The interest in Compton cameras has steadily grown since then. Following several decades of developments in the field, commercial solutions with different detection materials are now available and considerable research efforts are still underway. Advances on instrumentation, especially in the last decade, have allowed Compton cameras to progressively meet the technological requirements of different applications. Hence, developments span nowadays over broad fields: from astrophysics, homeland security, nuclear safety, environmental radiation hazard control, as well as diagnostic medicine and ion beam therapy treatment monitoring. In this chapter, the theoretical background of Compton cameras, technologies employed and image reconstruction methods are reviewed, as well as their applications, with a special focus on the most relevant fields nowadays.
