First results on material identification and imaging with a large-volume muon tomography prototype

The muon tomography technique, based on the Multiple Coulomb Scattering of cosmic ray muons, has been proposed recently as a tool to perform non-destructive assays of large-volume objects without any radiation hazard. In this paper we discuss experimental results obtained with a scanning system prototype, assembled using two large-area CMS Muon Barrel drift chambers. The capability of the apparatus to produce 3D images of objects and to classify them according to their density is presented. We show that the absorption of low-momentum muons in the scanned objects produces an underestimate of their scattering density, making the discrimination of materials heavier than lead more difficult.