Multiscale Phase-Contrast Tomography at BM18

Abstract

Synchrotron phase-contrast micro-tomography is considered the gold standard in non-destructive volumetric imaging of millimeter and centimeter-sized objects. Micro-tomography beamlines are operating at many synchrotron radiation facilities, including the Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS) at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). Applications favor objects which cannot be sufficiently resolved by state-of-the-art industrial micro-CT scanners. Synchrotron tomography features much superior time resolution, e.g., for in situ micro-CT, as well as superior photon flux, thus making this method suitable for Region of Interest scanning (i.e., multiresolution tomography). This report presents first results from the EBS' latest industrial beamline BM18, which was built for hierarchical propagation phase-contrast tomography. BM18 makes use of the exceptionally high coherence of the new ESRF-EBS lattice. Thanks to the wide polychromatic high-energy beam, one can scan and zoom into larger parts, e.g., from additive manufacturing or battery packs. In particular, BM18 allows for recording multiple scans at different resolutions ranging from 42 μm down to 0.6 μm, without the need to remove the object or manually change detectors. Free space propagation of up to 36 m yields excellent phase-contrast which in turn enhances the resolving power of the system. BM18 is generating an unprecedented amount of very large datasets. Consequently, novel strategies for data processing, storage and visualization are under development for this particular instrument.