The versatile X-ray beamline of the Munich Compact Light Source: design, instrumentation and applications.

Benedikt Günther,Bernhard Gleich,Stephanie Kulpe,Juanjuan Huang,Regine Gradl,Elena Eggl,Martin Dierolf,Franz Pfeiffer,Klaus Achterhold,Christoph Jud

doi:10.1107/s1600577520008309

Benedikt Günther, Bernhard Gleich + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1107/s1600577520008309

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Abstract

Inverse Compton scattering provides means to generate low-divergence partially coherent quasi-monochromatic, i.e. synchrotron-like, X-ray radiation on a laboratory scale. This enables the transfer of synchrotron techniques into university or industrial environments. Here, the Munich Compact Light Source is presented, which is such a compact synchrotron radiation facility based on an inverse Compton X-ray source (ICS). The recent improvements of the ICS are reported first and then the various experimental techniques which are most suited to the ICS installed at the Technical University of Munich are reviewed. For the latter, a multipurpose X-ray application beamline with two end-stations was designed. The beamline's design and geometry are presented in detail including the different set-ups as well as the available detector options. Application examples of the classes of experiments that can be performed are summarized afterwards. Among them are dynamic in vivo respiratory imaging, propagation-based phase-contrast imaging, grating-based phase-contrast imaging, X-ray microtomography, K-edge subtraction imaging and X-ray spectroscopy. Finally, plans to upgrade the beamline in order to enhance its capabilities are discussed.

Highlights

During the last decades, large-scale synchrotron facilities have been the driving force in the development of new X-ray imaging techniques that overcome the limits of conventional absorption imaging
The Munich Compact Light Source is presented, which is such a compact synchrotron radiation facility based on an inverse Compton X-ray source (ICS)
Design of the Compact Light Source at the Munich Compact Light Source (MuCLS) The fundamental design concept of the ICS of the MuCLS dates back to 1998 when Huang and Ruth proposed the concept of a ‘Laser-Electron Storage Ring’ (Huang & Ruth, 1998) which was further refined by Loewen (Loewen, 2003) and Lyncean Technologies Inc. (Fremont, USA) later on

Summary

Introduction

Large-scale synchrotron facilities have been the driving force in the development of new X-ray imaging techniques that overcome the limits of conventional absorption imaging. Many of these techniques, e.g. K-edge subtraction imaging (Thomlinson et al, 2018) or phase-contrast imaging (Endrizzi, 2018), provide benefits for medical X-ray imaging, most of them have not been implemented in clinical routines yet. High brilliance at these sources is limited to a comparably low X-ray energy of 9.2 keV (gallium) and with restrictions at a higher energy of 24.2 keV (indium). This issue of just fixed, relatively low X-ray energies (lines) with high brilliance can be overcome by

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