Superimposed wavefront imaging of diffraction-enhanced x-rays: A method to achieve higher resolution in crystal analyzer-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Sunaguchi, Naoki; Yuasa, Tetsuya; Shimao, Daisuke; Ichihara, Shu; Gupta, Rajiv; Ando, Masami
- Source
- Applied Physics Letters. 3/20/2023, Vol. 122 Issue 12, p1-6. 6p.
- Subject
- *X-ray imaging
*SPATIAL resolution
*BIOLOGICAL specimens
*SPATIAL systems
*CONTACT angle
*SCINTILLATORS
- Language
- ISSN
- 0003-6951
In conventional phase-contrast imaging methods, an optimum distance that is essential for x-ray interference and wavefront separation must be maintained between the object and the x-ray detector. This distance determines the apparent focal size of the x-ray source and affects spatial resolution of the system. To improve the spatial resolution, we proposed a phase-contrast imaging method that eliminates the distance required for x-ray interference and wavefront separation by placing a scintillator in close contact with a Laue angle analyzer (LAA). We mathematically described the image formed by superposition of diffracted beams in two directions of LAA and introduced a method to reconstruct tomographic sections from multiple projections captured by this setup. We experimentally demonstrated the validity and the usefulness of the proposed method. Using a physical phantom, we showed that the proposed method provides higher spatial resolution than conventional x-ray dark-field imaging. The proposed method may be useful for studying and elucidating the fine 3D microanatomy and histopathology of various biological specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]