X-ray Pulses Research Articles

The Spin-down Accretion Regime of Galactic Ultraluminous X-Ray Pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124

The relatively high fluxes of the Galactic ultraluminous X-ray pulsar Swift J0243 allow a detailed study of its spin-down regime in the quiescent state for the first time. After the 2017 giant outburst, its spin frequency shows a linearly decreasing trend with some variations due to minor outbursts. The linear spin-down rate is ∼ −1.9 × 10−12 Hz s−1 during the period of lowest luminosity, from which one can infer a dipole field of ∼1.75 × 1013 G. The relation during the spin-down regime is complex, and is close to zero when the luminosity reaches both the high end (L 38 ∼ 0.3) and the lowest value (L 38 ∼ 0.03). The luminosity of zero torque is different for the giant outburst and other minor outbursts. This is likely due to different accretion flows for different types of outburst, as evidenced by the differences in the spectra and pulse profiles at a similar luminosity for different types of outburst (giant or not). The pulse profile changes from double peaks in the spin-up state to a single broad peak in the low spin-down regime, indicating the emission beam/region is larger in the low spin-down regime. These results show that accretion is still ongoing in the low spin-down regime, for which the neutron star is supposed to be in a propeller state.

Fast On-Orbit Pulse Phase Estimation of X-Ray Crab Pulsar for XNAV Flight Experiments

The recent flight experiments with Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (\textit{NICER}) and \textit{Insight}-Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (\textit{Insight}-HXMT) have demonstrated the feasibility of X-ray pulsar-based navigation (XNAV) in the space. However, the current pulse phase estimation and navigation methods employed in the above flight experiments are computationally too expensive for handling the Crab pulsar data. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a fast algorithm of on-orbit estimating the pulse phase of Crab pulsar called X-ray pulsar navigaTion usIng on-orbiT pulsAr timiNg (XTITAN). The pulse phase propagation model for Crab pulsar data from \textit{Insight}-HXMT and \textit{NICER} are derived. When an exposure on the Crab pulsar is divided into several sub-exposures, we derive an on-orbit timing method to estimate the hyperparameters of the pulse phase propagation model. Moreover, XTITAN is improved by iteratively estimating the pulse phase and the position and velocity of satellite. When applied to the Crab pulsar data from \textit{NICER}, XTITAN is 58 times faster than the grid search method employed by \textit{NICER} experiment. When applied to the Crab pulsar data from \textit{Insight}-HXMT, XTITAN is 180 times faster than the Significance Enhancement of Pulse-profile with Orbit-dynamics (SEPO) which was employed in the flight experiments with \textit{Insight}-HXMT. Thus, XTITAN is computationally much efficient and has the potential to be employed for onboard computation.

A NuSTAR and Chandra Investigation of the Misaligned Outflow of PSR J1101–6101 and the Lighthouse Pulsar Wind Nebula

PSR J1101–6101 is an energetic young pulsar that powers the remarkable Lighthouse pulsar wind nebula (PWN). The pulsar belongs to the rare type of radio- and gamma-ray-quiet pulsars that are bright in hard X-rays. Moreover, the Lighthouse PWN is remarkable for its misaligned outflow (which gave rise to the PWN’s nickname). Also known as “pulsar filaments,” these collimated parsec-scale X-ray structures have been recently discovered in the vicinity of a handful of fast-moving pulsars, and they appear unaffected by the ram pressure that confines pulsar tails. We report on NuSTAR observations of PSR J1101–6101 and its misaligned outflow—the first observation of such a structure above ∼10 keV. We detect the outflow up to 25 keV, spatially resolve its spectral evolution with distance from the pulsar, find unambiguous evidence of spectral cooling with distance from the pulsar, and infer physical properties of the particles and magnetic field in the outflow. We also reanalzye archival Chandra data and discuss the outflow’s small-scale structure. We detect pulsations from PSR J1101–6101 up to 20 keV, present the X-ray pulse profile, confirm its period derivative, and perform phase-resolved spectroscopy. Finally, we discuss the X-ray source 2CXO J110158.4–605649 = 2XMM J110158.5–605651 (a serendipitously observed blazar) and suggest it may be the X-ray counterpart to the GeV source 4FGL J1102.0–6054.

Theoretical Description of Attosecond X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Frenkel Exciton Dynamics.

Frenkel excitons are responsible for the transport of light energy in many molecular systems. Coherent electron dynamics govern the initial stage of Frenkel-exciton transfer. Capability to follow coherent exciton dynamics in real time will help to reveal their actual contribution to the efficiency of light-harvesting. Attosecond X-ray pulses are the tool with the necessary temporal resolution to resolve pure electronic processes with atomic sensitivity. We describe how attosecond X-ray pulses can probe coherent electronic processes during Frenkel-exciton transport in molecular aggregates. We analyze time-resolved absorption cross section taking broad spectral bandwidth of an attosecond pulse into account. We demonstrate that attosecond X-ray absorption spectra can reveal delocalization degree of coherent exciton transfer dynamics.

Research on PTFE/Al reactive jet formation of shaped charge

During the PTFE/Al reactive shaped charge jet formation, the burst wave generated by the explosion of the explosive is sufficient to achieve the ignition conditions of the reactive materials (RMS). As a result, the RMS will react, resulting in an energy loss from the reactive jet. In order to research the forming features of PTFE/Al reactive jet and the energy loss during the jet formation, a PTFE/Al reactive liner with a diameter of 74 mm was prepared and an X-ray pulses photography experiment was performed on the jet formation. And the parameters of Johnson-Cook constitutive model of RMS were obtained through quasi-static experiments and Hopkinson pressure bar experiments. The jet formation were simulated, and the AUTODYN secondary development technology was used. The results show that the secondary development technology can intuitively show the reaction of the active material during the jet formation. The PTFE/Al reactive jet is less cohesive, its jet diameter is thicker, and the morphology is divergent. The reactive materials reacted during the PTFE/Al reactive shaped charge jet formation. And during the reactive jet formation, the inner layer of the liner collided. Therefore, most of the chemical reactions occur inside the reactive jet.

Vacuum polarization alters the spectra of accreting X-ray pulsars

It is a common belief that for magnetic fields typical of accreting neutron stars in high-mass X-ray binaries vacuum polarization only affects the propagation of polarized emission in the neutron star magnetosphere. We show that vacuum resonances can significantly alter the emission from the poles of accreting neutron stars. The effect is similar to vacuum polarization in the atmospheres of isolated neutron stars and can result in suppression of the continuum and the cyclotron lines. It is enhanced by magnetic Comptonization in the hot plasma and proximity to the electron cyclotron resonance. We present several models to illustrate the vacuum polarization effect for various optically thick media and discuss how the choice of polarization modes affects the properties of the emergent radiation by simulating polarized energy- and angle-dependent radiative transfer. Polarization effects, including vacuum polarization, crucially alter the emission properties. Together with strongly angle- and energy-dependent magnetic Comptonization, they result in a complex spectral shape, which can be described by dips and humps on top of a power-law-like continuum with high-energy cutoff. These effects provide a possible explanation for the common necessity of additional broad Gaussian components and two-component Comptonization models that are used to describe spectra of accreting X-ray pulsars. We also demonstrate the character of depolarization introduced by the radiation field’s propagation inside the inhomogeneous emission region.

Selected advances in small-angle scattering and applications they serve in manufacturing, energy and climate change.

Innovations in small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS) at major X-ray and neutron facilities offer new characterization tools for researching materials phenomena relevant to advanced applications. For SAXS, the new generation of diffraction-limited storage rings, incorporating multi-bend achromat concepts, dramatically decrease electron beam emittance and significantly increase X-ray brilliance over previous third-generation sources. This results in intense X-ray incident beams that are more compact in the horizontal plane, allowing significantly improved spatial resolution, better time resolution, and a new era for coherent-beam SAXS methods such as X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. Elsewhere, X-ray free-electron laser sources provide extremely bright, fully coherent, X-ray pulses of <100 fs and can support SAXS studies of material processes where entire SAXS data sets are collected in a single pulse train. Meanwhile, SANS at both steady-state reactor and pulsed spallation neutron sources has significantly evolved. Developments in neutron optics and multiple detector carriages now enable data collection in a few minutes for materials characterization over nanometre-to-micrometre scale ranges, opening up real-time studies of multi-scale materials phenomena. SANS at pulsed neutron sources is becoming more integrated with neutron diffraction methods for simultaneous structure characterization of complex materials. In this paper, selected developments are highlighted and some recent state-of-the-art studies discussed, relevant to hard matter applications in advanced manufacturing, energy and climate change.

Relativistic effects in ionization of heavy hydrogen-like ions by short x-ray pulses

The probability of photoionization of a heavy hydrogen like ion is calculated within the relativistic perturbation theory. The Coulomb potential of a heavy nucleus is taken into account accurately by usage of the corresponding solutions of the Dirac equation. The obtained probability is compared with both nonrelativistic limit and with nonperturbative results based on the numerical solution of the time-dependent Dirac equation. Suppression of ionization is observed in the secondary ionization channel at photon frequency of about ℏ ω ≈ mc 2.

Simultaneous radio and X-ray observations of the magnetar Swift J1818.0−1607

ABSTRACT Swift J1818.0−1607 is a radio-emitting magnetar that was discovered in X-ray outburst in 2020 March. Starting 4 d after this outburst, we began a nearly 5-month multifrequency observing campaign at 2.2, 8.4, and 32 GHz using telescopes in the NASA Deep Space Network. Using a dual-frequency observing mode, we were able to observe Swift J1818.0−1607 simultaneously at either 2.2 and 8.4 GHz or 8.4 and 32 GHz. Over the course of the campaign, we find that the flux density increases substantially and the spectrum changes from uncharacteristically steep (α &amp;lt; −2.2) to the essentially flat (α ≈ 0) spectrum typical of radio-emitting magnetars. In addition to the expected profile evolution on time-scales of days to months, we find that Swift J1818.0−1607 also exhibits mode switching where the pulse profile changes between two distinct shapes on time-scales of seconds to minutes. For two of the radio observations, we also had accompanying X-ray observations using the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer telescope that occurred on the same day. We find a near anti-alignment (0.40 phase cycles) between the peaks of the radio and X-ray pulse profiles, which is most likely explained by an intrinsic misalignment between the X-ray- and radio-emitting regions.

Machine-learning calibration of intense x-ray free-electron-laser pulses using Bayesian optimization

X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) have brought new ways to probe and manipulate atomic and molecular dynamics with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. A quantitative comparison of experimental results with their simulated theoretical counterpart, however, generally requires a precise characterization of the spatial and temporal x-ray pulse profile, providing a nonuniform photon distribution. The determination of the pulse profile constitutes a major, yet inevitable, challenge. Here, we propose a calibration scheme for intense XFEL pulses utilizing a set of experimental charge-state distributions of light noble gas atoms at a series of pulse energies in combination with first-principles simulations of the underlying atomic x-ray multiphoton ionization dynamics. The calibration builds on Bayesian optimization, which is a powerful, machine-learning-based tool particularly well suited for computationally expensive numerical optimization. We demonstrate the presented scheme to calibrate the pulse duration as well as the spatial fluence distribution profile of XFEL pulses. Our proposed method can serve as a comprehensive tool for characterizing ultraintense and ultrafast x-ray pulses.

Towards quantitative in vivo dosimetry using x-ray acoustic computed tomography.

Radiation dosimetry is essential for radiation therapy (RT) to ensure that radiation dose is accurately delivered to the tumor. Despite its wide use in clinical intervention, the delivered radiation dose can only be planned and verified via simulation. This makes precision radiotherapy challenging while in-line verification of the delivered dose is still absent in the clinic. X-ray-induced acoustic computed tomography (XACT) has recently been proposed as an imaging tool for in vivo dosimetry. Most of the XACT studies focus on localizing the radiation beam. However, it has not been studied for its potential for quantitative dosimetry. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using XACT for quantitative in vivo dose reconstruction during radiotherapy. Varian Eclipse system was used to generate simulated uniform and wedged 3D radiation field with a size of 4 cm 4 cm. In order to use XACT for quantitative dosimetry measurements, we have deconvoluted the effects of both the x-ray pulse shape and the finite frequency response of the ultrasound detector. We developed a model-based image reconstruction algorithm to quantify radiation dose in vivo using XACT imaging, and universal back-projection (UBP) reconstruction is used as comparison. The reconstructed dose was calibrated before comparing it to the percent depth dose (PDD) profile. Structural similarity index matrix (SSIM) and root mean squared error (RMSE) are used for numeric evaluation. Experimental signals were acquired from 4 cm 4 cm radiation field created by Linear Accelerator (LINAC) at depths of 6, 8, and 10 cm beneath the water surface. The acquired signals were processed before reconstruction to achieve accurate results. Applying model-based reconstruction algorithm with non-negative constraints successfully reconstructed accurate radiation dose in 3D simulation study. The reconstructed dose matches well with the PDD profile after calibration in experiments. The SSIMs between the model-based reconstructions and initial doses are over 85%, and the RMSEs of model-based reconstructions are eight times lower than the UBP reconstructions. We have also shown that XACT images can be displayed as pseudo-color maps of acoustic intensity, which correspond to different radiation doses in the clinic. Our results show that the XACT imaging by model-based reconstruction algorithm is considerably more accurate than the dose reconstructed by UBP algorithm. With proper calibration, XACT is potentially applicable to the clinic for quantitative in vivo dosimetry across a wide range of radiation modalities. In addition, XACT's capability of real-time, volumetric dose imaging seems well-suited for the emerging field of ultrahigh dose rate "FLASH" radiotherapy.

A von Hámos spectrometer for diamond anvil cell experiments at the High Energy Density Instrument of the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser.

A von Hámos spectrometer has been implemented in the vacuum interaction chamber 1 of the High Energy Density instrument at the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser facility. This setup is dedicated, but not necessarily limited, to X-ray spectroscopy measurements of samples exposed to static compression using a diamond anvil cell. Si and Ge analyser crystals with different orientations are available for this setup, covering the hard X-ray energy regime with a sub-eV energy resolution. The setup was commissioned by measuring various emission spectra of free-standing metal foils and oxide samples in the energy range between 6 and 11 keV as well as low momentum-transfer inelastic X-ray scattering from a diamond sample. Its capabilities to study samples at extreme pressures and temperatures have been demonstrated by measuring the electronic spin-state changes of (Fe0.5Mg0.5)O, contained in a diamond anvil cell and pressurized to 100 GPa, via monitoring the Fe Kβ fluorescence with a set of four Si(531) analyser crystals at close to melting temperatures. The efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio of the spectrometer enables valence-to-core emission signals to be studied and single pulse X-ray emission from samples in a diamond anvil cell to be measured, opening new perspectives for spectroscopy in extreme conditions research.

Formation behaviors of rod-like reactive shaped charge penetrator and their effects on damage capability

Formation behaviors of rod-like reactive shaped charge penetrator (RRSCP) and their effects on damage capability are investigated by experiments and numerical simulations. The pulsed X-ray technology and a spaced aluminum/steel plate with the thicknesses of 5 mm/100 mm are used. Three types of spherical-segment aluminum-polytetrafluoroethylene-copper (Al-PTFE-Cu) reactive liners with Cu contents of 0%, 46.6%, and 66% are fabricated and tested. The experimental results show that the reactive liners can form excellent rod-shaped penetrators with tail skirts under the shaped charge effect, but the tail skirts disappear over time. Moreover, rupturing damage to the aluminum plate and penetration to the steel plate are caused by the RRSCP impact. From simulation analysis, the RRSCP is formed by a mechanically and chemically coupled response with the reactive liner activated by shock in its outer walls and bottom and then backward overturning, forming a leading reactive penetrator and a following chemical energy cluster. The unique formation structure determines the damage modes of the aluminum plate and the steel plate. Further analysis indicates that the formation behaviors and damage capability of Al-PTFE-Cu RRSCP strongly depend on Cu content. With increasing Cu content, the velocity, activation extent, and reaction extent of Al-PTFE-Cu RRSCP decrease, which contribute to elongation and alleviate the negative effects of chemical reactions on elongation, significantly increasing the length-diameter ratio and thus enhancing the capability of steel plate penetration. However, the lower activation extent and energetic density will weaken the RRSCP's capability of causing rupturing damage to the aluminum plate.

Growth and Characterization of All-Inorganic Halide Perovskite CsPbF3 Single Crystals

Lead-based halide perovskite semiconductors have demonstrated considerable potential in optoelectronic applications. However, the lack of high-quality crystals suitable for research has led to rare reports on CsPbF3 single crystals. Good quality CsPbF3 single crystals were successfully grown using the Bridgman method. The structure, luminescence, and electrical properties of crystals were investigated. At room temperature, the crystal structure was determined to be cubic perovskite, with a calculated bandgap of 3.68 eV. The measured emission spectrum showed one broad emission peak at approximately 400 nm. Three decay time constants were obtained from a sum of exponential functions fit to the fluorescence decay curve: 0.4 ns, 2.4 ns, and 15.0 ns for fast, middle, and slow decay times, respectively. The decay times excited by pulsed X-ray were measured to be 2.2 ns and 10.2 ns, indicating that CsPbF3 is an ultrafast scintillator. Furthermore, the electrical properties demonstrated that CsPbF3 exhibits high ion mobility, which is approximately 20 times that of electron mobility.

Indirect evidence for elemental hydrogen in laser-compressed hydrocarbons

We demonstrate a significantly simplified experimental approach for investigating liquid metallic hydrogen, which is crucial to understand the internal structure and evolution of giant planets. Plastic samples were shockcompressed and then probed by short pulses of X-rays generated by free electron lasers. By comparison with ab initio simulations, we provide indirect evidence for the creation of elemental hydrogen in shock-compressed plastics at ∼150GPa and ∼5,000K and thus in a regime where hydrogen is predicted to be metallic. Being the most common form of condensed matter in our solar system, and ostensibly the simplest of all elements, hydrogen is the model case for many theoretical studies and we provide a new possibility to benchmark models for conditions with extreme pressures and temperatures. Moreover, this approach will also allow to probe the chemical behavior of metallic hydrogen in mixture with other elements, which, besides its importance for planetary physics, may open up promising pathways for the synthesis of new materials.Received 25 April 2022Accepted 10 April 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.L022023Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasHigh-energy-density plasmasHigh-pressure studiesLaboratory studies of space & astrophysical plasmasMaterialsShock wavesTechniquesDFT+DMFTX-ray diffractionPlasma Physics

Hydrogen-triggered X-Ray Bursts from SAX J1808.4−3658? The Onset of Nuclear Burning

We present a study of weak, thermonuclear X-ray bursts from the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4−3658. We focus on a burst observed with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer on 2019 August 9, and describe a similar burst observed with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer in 2005 June. These bursts occurred soon after outburst onset, 2.9 and 1.1 days, after the first indications of fresh accretion. We measure peak burst bolometric fluxes of 6.98 ± 0.50 × 10−9 and 1.54 ± 0.10 × 10−8 erg cm−2 s−1, respectively, which are factors of ≈30 and 15 less than the peak flux of the brightest, helium-powered bursts observed from this source. From spectral modeling we estimate the accretion rates and accreted columns at the time of each burst. For the 2019 burst we estimate an accretion rate of M ⊙ yr−1, and a column in the range 3.9–5.1 × 107 g cm−2. For the 2005 event the accretion rate was similar, but the accreted column was half of that estimated for the 2019 burst. The low accretion rates, modest columns, and evidence for a cool neutron star in quiescence, suggest these bursts are triggered by thermally unstable CNO cycle hydrogen burning. The post-burst flux level in the 2019 event appears offset from the pre-burst level by an amount consistent with quasi-stable hydrogen burning due to the temperature-insensitive, hot-CNO cycle, further suggesting hydrogen burning as the primary fuel source. This provides strong observational evidence for hydrogen-triggered bursts. We discuss our results in the context of previous theoretical modeling.

Improving the Performance of HPHT-Diamond Detectors for Pulsed X-Ray Dosimetry Using the Synchronous Detection Technique

A single-crystal diamond sample grown by high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) technique was used for the fabrication of a metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) photoconductor. The sample quality was evaluated by means of spectral photocurrent measurements highlighting the presence of a significant density of defect states within the diamond bandgap, responsible for trap-mediated conduction mechanisms. The photoconductor was fully characterized under 6 MeV pulsed X-rays, sourced by a medical linear accelerator (LINAC), in the 0.05–20 Gy and 0.017–0.100 Gy/s dose (D) and dose-rate (DR) ranges, respectively. Photocurrent measurements performed with a conventional precision electrometer showed that the detector performance is strongly affected by charge-trapping phenomena, resulting in a sublinear dependence with the DR (power-law dependence with an exponent of 0.86). Measurements were repeated in the same experimental conditions by coupling the detector to a specifically developed gated integrator, allowing for a synchronous integration of photocurrent pulses (limited to 40 <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu$</tex-math> </inline-formula> </i> s) centered on each impinging X-ray pulse. In this case, the detector photoresponse showed an excellent linearity with both the D and the DR (power-law dependence with 1.0009 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\pm$</tex-math> </inline-formula> 0.0004 and 1.009 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\pm$</tex-math> </inline-formula> 0.005 exponents, respectively). Significantly, the proposed synchronous integration technique is then able to mitigate the detrimental effect that defects have on detector performance. The proposed method paves, therefore, the way to the exploitation of HPHT diamond as a low-cost alternative to single-crystal chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-diamond for the fabrication of accurate and linear X-ray dosimeters.

Characteristics of “Dust” Fluxes from the Surface of Copper and Lead Liners Exposed to One or Two Successive Shock Waves

Comparative experimental studies of the shock-induced particle ejection (“dusting”) from the free rough (Rz20) surface of copper and lead liners exposed to one or two successive shock waves separated in time by 0.2 μs have been carried out for the first time. This situation usually occurs in cumulative systems for the compression of the plasma by cylindrical or spherical liners shock or quasi-isentropically accelerated by explosion products. Using pulsed X-ray diffraction, laser optical recording, piezoelectric pressure sensors, and heterodyne interferometry, a qualitative picture has been studied and the quantitative characteristics of particle ejection from the free surface such as the velocities of the free surface and the particle flux front and the density (mass) distribution of particle flux in the direction of its motion, which are necessary for more accurate determination of features and the development of more appropriate models of the effect, have been evaluated.

A sensitive high repetition rate arrival time monitor for X-ray free electron lasers

X-ray free-electron laser sources enable time-resolved X-ray studies with unmatched temporal resolution. To fully exploit ultrashort X-ray pulses, timing tools are essential. However, new high repetition rate X-ray facilities present challenges for currently used timing tool schemes. Here we address this issue by demonstrating a sensitive timing tool scheme to enhance experimental time resolution in pump-probe experiments at very high pulse repetition rates. Our method employs a self-referenced detection scheme using a time-sheared chirped optical pulse traversing an X-ray stimulated diamond plate. By formulating an effective medium theory, we confirm subtle refractive index changes, induced by sub-milli-Joule intense X-ray pulses, that are measured in our experiment. The system utilizes a Common-Path-Interferometer to detect X-ray-induced phase shifts of the optical probe pulse transmitted through the diamond sample. Owing to the thermal stability of diamond, our approach is well-suited for MHz pulse repetition rates in superconducting linear accelerator-based free-electron lasers.

Dual-Energy Processing of X-ray Images of Beryl in Muscovite Obtained Using Pulsed X-ray Sources.

This paper presents the development of a method for dual-energy processing of X-ray images using pulsed X-ray sources for the contrast detection of beryl in muscovite mica in 2D X-ray and CT images. These substances have similar chemical properties and are difficult to differentiate when one is against the background of the other using methods based on X-ray absorption. In the experiments, we used three pulsed X-ray sources with different maximum voltages. We performed modeling of the emission spectra and selection of the necessary energy bands due to X-ray absorbing filters: a positive effect was shown for dual-energy image processing when the function of converting X-ray radiation into a signal using the VIVIX-V 2323D detector was taken into account. As a result, a pulsed X-ray source with the pulse voltage of 330 kV was chosen for the contrast detection of beryl, with the content of 5-7% against the background of muscovite and the thickness up to 70 mm. Using this source and the developed mathematical algorithms, it is possible to obtain a band of low-energy radiation at the level of 70-80 keV, as well as high-energy radiation in the range of 180 keV. Methods based on the X-ray absorption can become both additional and independent methods for studying and monitoring membranes; these objects range from tens of nanometers to several micrometers in size.