  A new type of compact high resolution high sensitivity gamma ray spectrometer
for short pulse intense 250 keV to 50 MeV gamma rays has been developed by
combining the principles of scintillators and attenuation spectrometers. The
first prototype of this scintillator attenuation spectrometer or SAS was tested
successfully in Trident laser experiments at LANL. Later versions have been
used extensively in the Texas Petawatt laser experiments in Austin TX, and more
recently in OMEGAEP laser experiments at LLE, Rochester, NY. The SAS is
particularly useful for high repetition rate laser applications. Here we give a
concise description of the design principles, capabilities and sample
preliminary results of the SAS.
