X-ray tomography of extended objects: a comparison of data acquisition approaches

Abstract

The penetration power of x-rays allows one to image large objects while their short wavelength allows for high spatial resolution. As a result, with synchrotron sources one has the potential to obtain tomographic images of centimeter-sized specimens with sub-micrometer pixel sizes. However, limitations on beam and detector size make it difficult to acquire such data of this sort in a single take, necessitating strategies for combining data from multiple regions. One strategy is to acquire a tiled set of local tomograms by rotating the specimen around each of the local tomogram center positions. Another strategy, sinogram oriented acquisition, involves the collection of projections at multiple offset positions from the rotation axis followed by data merging and reconstruction. We have carried out a simulation study to compare these two approaches in terms of radiation dose applied to the specimen, and reconstructed image quality. Local tomography acquisition involves an easier data alignment problem, and immediate viewing of subregions before the entire dataset has been acquired. Sinogram oriented acquisition involves a more difficult data assembly and alignment procedure, and it is more sensitive to accumulative registration error. However, sinogram oriented acquisition is more dose-efficient, it involves fewer translation motions of the object, and it avoids certain artifacts of local tomography.

Virtual histology of archaeological human deciduous prenatal enamel through synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography images

“…At the time of measurement, the only microtomographic setup available for pink beam experiments was installed $17 m from the source. The mechanical limitation of this setup did not allow a tiling scanning procedure (Du et al, 2018), so only a single scan was acquired for each tooth.…”

Unraveling Structural Details in Ga-Pd SCALMS Systems Using Correlative Nano-CT, 360° Electron Tomography and Analytical TEM

“…In a next step, we transferred two representative primary particles onto a suitable tomography tip (Figure 2C) and used FIB milling to prepare a pillar with a diameter of about 28 µm suited for LFOV-PC and HRES-PC nano-CT investigation (Figures 2D and 3A,B). To enhance the standard field of view (FOV) of 16 µm × 16 µm of a single HRES-PC nano-CT tilt series, we stitched several HRES tilt series of adjacent sample regions before reconstruction (Figure 3B and Video; see Section 4 for more details) [45]. This stitched-HRES-PC nano-CT approach extends the accessible FOV to about (31 µm) 2 , while preserving a high spatial resolution of 46.66/37.01 nm calculated by Fourier shell correlation (FSC) using the one-bit/half-bit criterion (Table 1) [46].…”

Micrometer-resolution X-ray tomographic full-volume reconstruction of an intact post-mortem juvenile rat lung

“…The common idea is to image parts of the sample and merge them either before or after the tomographic reconstruction. Independent of the method, the process is time-and resource-consuming, and although more efficient techniques have been developed (Du et al 2018;Vescovi et al 2018) studies of large extended objects have been limited to static samples so far.…”

“…This classical mosaic method of scanning large samples is also known as the local tomography approach. Apart from being time-and dose-inefficient compared to recently developed methods (Du et al 2018), it has one key advantage. In a slowly degrading and moving sample, each tomographic acquisition is short enough to act as a snapshot of the sample in a quasi-steady state.…”