Abstract: The invention provides a system and method for characterising at least part of a material comprising: a source of incident X-rays (4, 28) configured to irradiate at least part of the material; one or more detectors (300,302,312,1701,1704,1600,1607,1608,1604) adapted to detect radiation emanating from within or passing through the material as a result of the irradiation by the incident radiation (1700) and thereby produce a detection signal (313); and one or more digital processors (304-311,2000-2009) configured to process the detection signal (313) to characterise at least part of the material; wherein the one or more detectors (300,302,312,1701, 1704,1600,1607,1608,1604) and one or more digital processors (304-311,2000-2009) are configured to characterise at least part of the material by performing energy resolved photon counting X-ray transmission spectroscopy analysis.

Abstract: The invention provides a device (100) for screening one or more items (101,1806) of freight or baggage for one or more types of target material, the device comprising: a source (200, 201,1800) of incident radiation (204,206,1804) configured to irradiate the one or more items (101,1806); a plurality of detectors (202,209,1807, 301) adapted to detect packets of radiation (205,207,1700) emanating from within or passing through the one or more items (101, 1806) as a result of the irradiation by the incident radiation (204, 206, 1804), each detector being configured to produce an electrical pulse (312) caused by the detected packets having a characteristic size or shape dependent on an energy of the packets; one or more digital processors (203, 210, 303, 304, 306, 305) configured to process each electrical pulse to determine the characteristic size or shape and to thereby generate a detector energy spectrum for each detector of the energies of the packets detected, and characterize a material associated with the o

Abstract: The invention provides a material characterisation system and method for characterising a stream of material emanating from a material identification, exploration, extraction or processing activity, the system comprising: a source of incident radiation (64) configured to irradiate the stream of material in an irradiation region (18); one or more detectors (300,302,312,1701,1704,1600,1607,1608,1604) adapted to detect radiation emanating from within or passing through the stream of material as a result of the irradiation by the incident radiation (1700) and thereby produce a detection signal (313); and one or more digital processors (304-311,2000-2009) configured to process the detection signal to characterise the stream of material; wherein the source of incident radiation (64) and the one or more detectors (300,302,312,1701,1704,1600,1607,1608,1604) are adapted to be disposed relative to the stream of material so as to irradiate the stream of material and detect the radiation emanating from within or passing

Abstract: The invention provides a system and method for characterising at least part of a material comprising: a source of incident X-rays (4, 28) configured to irradiate at least part of the material; one or more detectors (300,302,312,1701,1704,1600,1607,1608,1604) adapted to detect radiation emanating from within or passing through the material as a result of the irradiation by the incident radiation (1700) and thereby produce a detection signal (313); and one or more digital processors (304-311,2000-2009) configured to process the detection signal (313) to characterise at least part of the material; wherein the one or more detectors (300,302,312,1701, 1704,1600,1607,1608,1604) and one or more digital processors (304-311,2000-2009) are configured to characterise at least part of the material by performing energy resolved photon counting X-ray transmission spectroscopy analysis.

Abstract: The invention provides a device (100) for screening one or more items (101,1806) of freight or baggage for one or more types of target material, the device comprising: a source (200, 201,1800) of incident radiation (204,206,1804) configured to irradiate the one or more items (101,1806); a plurality of detectors (202,209,1807, 301) adapted to detect packets of radiation (205,207,1700) emanating from within or passing through the one or more items (101, 1806) as a result of the irradiation by the incident radiation (204, 206, 1804), each detector being configured to produce an electrical pulse (312) caused by the detected packets having a characteristic size or shape dependent on an energy of the packets; one or more digital processors (203, 210, 303, 304, 306, 305) configured to process each electrical pulse to determine the characteristic size or shape and to thereby generate a detector energy spectrum for each detector of the energies of the packets detected, and characterise a material associated with the o

Abstract: Bits are assigned to channels of a discrete modulation communications system. A first set of channels and a second set of channels are selected from a plurality of channels in the communications system. The first and second set of channels are selected in order to re-assign one or more bits from the first set of channels to the second set of channels so as to cause a performance characteristic of one or more channels in the communications system to improve.

Abstract: Bit are assigned to channels of a discrete modulation communications system. A first set of channels and a second set of channels are selected from a plurality of channels in the communications system. The first and second set of channels are selected in order to re-assign one or more bits from the first set of channels to the second set of channels so as to cause a performance characteristic of one or more channels in the communications system to improve.