A multidisciplinary perspective on the present and future of particle imaging

Abstract

The imaging of particulate media – encompassing both the imaging of the particles themselves, as well as the study of their dynamics and bulk properties and behaviours – is crucial to improving our understanding of a diverse range of phenomena and processes spanning numerous scientific disciplines and industrial sectors. Despite interdisciplinary interest in the field and the availability, and continuous development, of a wide range of different imaging techniques, there exist nonetheless a number of limitations of these techniques, and open challenges – both technical and non-technical – facing the field as a whole. In this perspective, we discuss in detail five such challenges, identified by a team of interdisciplinary experts spanning both academia and industry: how can we work toward the imaging of systems which are more ‘real-world-relevant’, both in terms of composition and scale? How can we extract detailed, quantitative information regarding stresses from such systems? How can we image processes which are both rapid and transient, when most current technologies can manage (at best) only one of these states? How can we ensure closer and more fruitful collaboration between the academics developing particle imaging technologies and the potential industrial end-users who stand to benefit from them? How can we improve the visibility of the field and the educational opportunities available to the potential next generation of particle technologists? As one may expect for such a broad range of questions, the answers to the above are diverse and numerous. However, there are certain key themes running through them. Above all, our work highlights a need for improved collaboration, be that in terms of experts in multiple different imaging technologies working together to perform multi-modal studies so as to address the technical limitations highlighted above, researchers and industry professionals finding new ways to engage, or academics co-creating open-source educational tools to support the next generation of particle imaging experts.