The state of grating-based x-ray phase contrast imaging (Conference Presentation)

Abstract

X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) reveals structure and detail of low density materials with a sensitivity not accessible to conventional absorption based x-ray imaging or other non-destructive inspection techniques. The wide use of low density materials in defense and security applications has driven development outside the medical domain. In the laboratory environment (instantiations that do not employ a synchrotron), XPCI has moved beyond nascent demonstrations. Advances have been made in grating fabrication, source development, and specialized detectors. As the application space grows, new algorithms for acquisition, reconstruction, and corrections are being developed. I will review the state of the art in laboratory grating-based XPCI with emphasis on the growing interest in materials science applications. Hurdles remain for XPCI to move beyond laboratory demonstrations and become a widely used non-destructive inspection technique. The most common three-grating system has limitations defined by grating fabrication limits, which determine attainable energy levels, and relevant samples. The system geometry, signal levels, and speed of acquisition must be realistic for real world applications. This talk will provide a perspective on the global state of XPCI and development trends that seek to expand the operational space.