Sensitivity of laboratory based implementations of edge illumination X-ray phase-contrast imaging

Abstract

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.