Applications of Attenuation of Photons in Matter: A Scoping Review

The objective is focused on studying various applications of photon attenuation through biological, dosimetric, shielding materials, soil physics and non-destructive measurement technique for elemental analysis. Measurement of hemoglobin in patients using photon attenuation is found to be unique technique. Photon attenuation through gemstones is established technique to explain color changes. Estimation of soil parameters using photon attenuation is found to be special tool in agriculture revolution. The mass attenuation coefficient is one of the parameters that describe the interactions between photons and the matter. It characterizes the attenuation of a photon beam in matter, and depends on the material composition and the photon energy. In case of composite materials, interaction of photons is discussed through studying other parameters such as effective atomic numbers and effective electronic densities. These parameters can be studied experimentally using gamma ray spectrometry, theoretically and using simulation. A review of using the photon attenuation technique through different materials and applications is presented in the book.