Geant4Muon momentum spectra analysis by multi-group model for thickness measurement of slabs

In muon tomography based on multiple Coulomb scattering, the scattering properties of cosmic-ray muons are distinctive even for the same target due to their different momentum distribution, which, to some extent, cast down the imaging resolution. For the purpose of suppressing or eliminating this effect, a multi-group model (MGM) of the momentum spectra of cosmic-ray muons was set up and validated by measuring the thicknesses of Pb slabs and by identifying the materials of unknown slabs. The results show that MGM can give a precise calculation of Pb slab thickness in the range of 1-16 cm, within an error of 5%. Moreover, MGM can also identify the materials of slabs by calculating the corresponding radiation lengths, which is especially effective for high-Z materials with an calculation error below 4%.