We report on a non-interferometric technique enabling dark-field imaging by using incoherent illumination and two achromatic optical elements. The simultaneous retrieval of absorption and differential phase images in the hard X-ray regime is also provided. We show that three projection images are sufficient to separate three signals: absorption, differential phase, and scattering. The method is highly efficient, also in terms of the dose delivered to the sample, flexible, robust against environmental vibrations, and scalable. It can be easily implemented in laboratories and translated into commercial systems, lending itself to a wide range of applications. V
Articles you may be interested inHigh-resolution and high-sensitivity phase-contrast imaging by focused hard x-ray ptychography with a spatial filter Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 094102 (2013); 10.1063/1.4794063Contrast and resolution in direct Fresnel diffraction phase-contrast imaging with partially coherent x-ray source Rev.We present a theoretical and experimental analysis of the angular sensitivity of edge illumination X-ray phase-contrast imaging in its implementation with conventional X-ray sources (sometimes referred to as the "coded-aperture" method). We study how the polychromaticity and finite source dimensions encountered in laboratory-based setups affect the detected signal. We also show that the sensitivity is independent of the period of the masks. Experimental images are presented and analyzed, proving that, despite the simple setup, high angular resolutions of a few hundred nanoradians can be obtained. V C 2013 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx.
X-ray imaging is a standard tool for the non-destructive inspection of the internal structure of samples. It finds application in a vast diversity of fields: medicine, biology, many engineering disciplines, palaeontology and earth sciences are just few examples. The fundamental principle underpinning the image formation have remained the same for over a century: the X-rays traversing the sample are subjected to different amount of absorption in different parts of the sample. By means of phase-sensitive techniques it is possible to generate contrast also in relation to the phase shifts imparted by the sample and to extend the capabilities of X-ray imaging to those details that lack enough absorption contrast to be visualised in conventional radiography. A general overview of X-ray phase contrast imaging techniques is presented in this review, along with more recent advances in this fast evolving field and some examples of applications.
We present a new quantitative x-ray phase-contrast imaging method based on the edge illumination principle, which allows achieving unprecedented nanoradian sensitivity. The extremely high angular resolution is demonstrated theoretically and through experimental images obtained at two different synchrotron radiation facilities. The results, achieved at both very high and very low x-ray energies, show that this highly sensitive technique can be efficiently exploited over a very broad range of experimental conditions. This method can open the way to new, previously inaccessible scientific applications in various fields including biology, medicine and materials science.
The authors obtained phase-related image enhancements in mammography by means of a system built with components available off-the-shelf that operates under exposure time and dose conditions compatible with clinical practice. This opens the way to a straightforward translation of phase enhanced imaging methods into clinical practice.
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