Compton telescope
Also found in: Acronyms.
Compton telescope
A gamma-ray detector design based on the detection of a Compton scattering interaction of a gamma ray in a first detector, usually a plastic scintillator, followed by the detection of the Compton scattered photon in a second detector. This method allows the simultaneous determination of photon direction and energy to be made. An imaging Compton telescope (COMPTEL) is part of the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory.Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006