Developments of X-ray grating imaging and trying of multiple
information fusion
Yueping Han*
a
, Ruihong Li
b
, Xiaolei Jiang
c
a
National Key Laboratory for Electronic Measurement Technology, North University of China,
Taiyuan, China 0300511;
b
Key Laboratory of Instrumentation Science & Dynamic Measurement
(North University of China), Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, China 030051;
c
Key Laboratory of
Particle & Radiation Imaging (Tsinghua University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, China 100084
ABSTRACT
The present paper reviews the X-ray grating imaging systems at home and abroad from the aspects of technological
characterizations and the newest researching focus. First, not only the imaging principles and the frameworks of the typical
X-ray grating imaging system based on Talbot-Lau interferometry method, but also the algorithms of retrieving the signals
of attenuation, refraction and small-angle scattering are introduced. Second, the system optimizing methods are discussed,
which involves mainly the relaxing the requirement of high positioning resolution and strict circumstances for gratings and
designing large field of view with high resolution. Third, two and four-dimensional grating-based X-ray imaging techniques
are introduced. Moreover, the trends of X-ray grating based imaging technology are discussed, especially the multiple
information fusions are tried with attenuation, refraction and scattering obtained synchronously.
Keywords: X-ray grating imaging, talbot interferometry, research development.
1. INTRODUCTION
As is known to all, X-ray radiographic absorption imaging is an invaluable tool in medical diagnostics, materials science
and industrial non-destructive testing
[1,2]
. However, the traditional X-ray radiography could not image light materials whose
atomic numbers are low.
The development of X-ray grating imaging is derived from the study of X-ray phase contrast imaging
[3]
. In general, the role
of materials for X rays can be represented as
, where the refractive index decrement
determines the phase
shift
of the X rays passing through the object. The absorption index
is correlated with the linear absorption
coefficient
. Actually, for weakly absorbing low-Z objects, such as C, N, H and etc.,
is 1000 times larger than
[4]
.
Therefore, X-ray phase contrast imaging is more sensitive than traditional X-ray absorption technique in the fields of
medicine and material science, etc.. Since the 1990s, four X-ray phase contrast imaging methods have been developed:
interferometer-based, propagation-based, analyzer-based and grating-based methods. However, the former three kinds of
modes have until now been impractical due to they must use highly brilliant X-ray synchrotron or micro-focus sources.
Fortunately, X-ray grating-based imaging can efficiently yield quantitative differential phase-contrast images with
conventional X-ray tube.
X-ray grating-based phase-contrast imaging method firstly realized with highly coherent synchrotron radiation sources in
the early 21st century, though similar or related technologies, such as Talbot interferometry, shearing interferometry, moiré
deflectometry and Talbot-Lau interferometry
[5]
, have been developed maturely in the visible-light and atom fields since
1970s. David et al applied two phase gratings and a Bragg crystal to generate moiré patterns and retrieved X-ray differential
phase-contrast information at the ESRF in 2002
[6]
. Momose et al demonstrated Talbot interferometry with a pair of
transmission gratings to generate moiré fringes and then adopted a phase-shifting technique to retrieve phase-contrast
images at the Spring-8
[7,8]
. Subsequently, Weitkamp et al also implemented Talbot interferometry with a phase grating and
an absorption grating to obtain phase-contrast information by use of a phase-stepping approach at the ESRF
[9-11]
. The
requirement for coherence is the main obstacle to clinical diagnosis of phase contrast imaging because current medical
X-ray imaging equipment employs conventional X-ray tubes, providing weakly coherent X rays.
* yuepinghan@163.com; phone +86 139 034 173 71
Advances in Computational Methods for X-Ray Optics III, edited by Manuel Sanchez del Rio,
Oleg Chubar, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 9209, 92090U · © 2014 SPIE
CCC code: 0277-786X/14/$18 · doi: 10.1117/12.2064978
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 9209 92090U-1
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