Simple X-Ray Dark- and Bright-Field Imaging Using Achromatic Laue Optics

Abstract

X-ray dark-field and bright-field imaging in the Laue geometry has been successfully demonstrated. Using a Bragg-case asymmetric monochromator that produces an X-ray beam with a 0.3 mrad divergence incident onto an object and a Laue geometry analyzer that can simultaneously provide dark-field imaging (DFI) and bright-field imaging (BFI). The DFI has only an X-ray refraction component on the object without illumination, while the BFI has reasonable illumination. This was achieved by a 1.075 mm thick silicon analyzer with 4, 4, 0 diffraction at 35 keV X-ray photon energy. An image of an insect embedded in polymethylmethacrylate, which can not be visualized by absorption, has been obtained.

Potential for Imaging Engineered Tissues with X-Ray Phase Contrast

“…This allows for PC and absorption images to be produced simultaneously without any need for reconstruction. [38][39][40] All four PC imaging techniques provide images with good contrast and information not available with traditional…”

Clinical step onward with X-ray dark-field imaging and perspective view of medical applications of synchrotron radiation in Japan

“…A pioneering imaging due to refraction at internal boundaries of object was first proposed by Podurets et al [26,27] in neutron imaging and later in X-ray imaging [28,29]. These belong to X-ray bright-field imaging (BFI) [30][31][32][33][34][35][36] because the images involve not only refraction component but also illumination component, while DFI [37] should involve only refraction component. A certain thickness Laue case analyzer can suppress the illumination background.…”

“…Our group also proposed another idea of extracting the component of refraction contrast by the adoption of a Laue analyzer called refraction-based X-ray DFI [37] as shown in Fig. 8.…”

Refractive-index based tomosynthesis using dark-field imaging optics

“…Generally, incident beams impinging on a Laue-case analyzer near the Bragg angle is split into two beams, a forwardly diffracted and a diffracted beam. DFI uses a crystal such that the intensity of forwardly diffracted waves diminishes at the Bragg angle [7]. DFI optics under the above condition and without an object present interrupts the forwardly diffracted intensity.…”