High sensitivity X-ray phase contrast imaging by laboratory grating-based interferometry at high Talbot order geometry
Abstract
X-ray phase contrast imaging is a powerful analysis technique for materials science and biomedicine. Here, we report on laboratory grating-based X-ray interferometry employing a microfocus X-ray source and a high Talbot order (35th) asymmetric geometry to achieve high angular sensitivity and high spatial resolution X-ray phase contrast imaging in a compact system (total length <1 m). The detection of very small refractive angles (∼50 nrad) at an interferometer design energy of 19 keV was enabled by combining small period X-ray gratings (1.0, 1.5 and 3.0 µm) and a single-photon counting X-ray detector (75 µm pixel size). The performance of the X-ray interferometer was fully characterized in terms of angular sensitivity and spatial resolution. Finally, the potential of laboratory X-ray phase contrast for biomedical imaging is demonstrated by obtaining high resolution X-ray phase tomographies of a mouse embryo embedded in solid paraffin and a formalin-fixed full-thickness sample of human left ventricle in water with a spatial resolution of 21.5 µm. Show more
Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
Optics ExpressVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
OSA PublishingOrganisational unit
03817 - Stampanoni, Marco F.M. / Stampanoni, Marco F.M.
Funding
159263 - X-ray phase-contrast micro computed tomography for improved pathology (SNF)
183568 - GI-BCT - Clinical Grating Interferometry Breast Computed Tomography (SNF)
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