X-ray computed tomography using synchrotron sources and advanced lab setups for comprehensive microstructural properties of materials and biomaterials

• Lucia Mancini (Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste)

Room: High Energy Building, Aula Touschek Imaging techniques based on the use of hard X-rays play an important role in several research fields and industrial applications. Many topics in medicine, biology, material science, geosciences and cultural heritage studies can be afforded thanks to the high potential and large applicability of X-ray imaging. In the last twenty years a great interest has been devoted to the development of X-ray computed microtomography (micro-CT) techniques, both employing microfocus and synchrotron radiation sources. These techniques allows to produce 3D or 4D (dynamic micro-CT) images of the internal structure of objects at the micron- and submicron- scale. Investigations performed directly in the 3D domain overcome the limitations of stereological methods usually applied to microscopy-based analyses and a non-destructive method is more suitable for further complementary analyses and for precious or unique samples (fossils and archeological finds, in-vivo imaging, etc …). An intriguing challenge is to extract directly from 3D and 4D images quantitative parameters related to the physical properties of the studied materials. However, accurate image processing, analysis and visualization methods for an effective assessment of these parameters are still an open issue especially in the case of 4D micro-CT experiments. In this talk, several scientific applications of advanced hard X-ray imaging techniques will be presented trying to critically expose advantages, limitations and open problems in the different fields.

Sissi-Bio: The Chemical and life sciences branch of the IR beamline at Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste

• Lisa Vaccari (Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste)

Room: High Energy Building, Aula Touschek SISSI (Synchrotron Infrared Source for Spectroscopy and Imaging) is the infrared beamline at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste. It extracts the IR and visible components of synchrotron emission for performing spectroscopy, microspectroscopy and imaging at the two SISSI branches: SISSI-Mat (IOM-CNR, Sapienza) and SISSI-Bio (Elettra). The applications cover a wide range of research fields, including surface and material science, high-pressure experiments, geology, cultural heritage, biochemistry, cellular biology, etc. The present talk aims to provide an overview of the actual beamline status, focusing on the equipment and potentialities of SISSI-Bio branchline. Selected examples of both user and in-house research activities at SISSI-Bio will be presented, covering fields of science such as in-situ cell sorting according to cell-cycle phases by FTIR microscopy and X-ray radiation damage probed by non-damaging IR beams. An overview of the planned upgrades of SISSI will be also provided, in order to explore potential synergisms with LNF, encompassing both technical developments and scientific topics. LISA VACCARI1 AND GIOVANNI BIRARDA1 1) Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, SS 14 Km 143.5 34149 Trieste, ITALY

Biomedical Imaging at the SYRMEP beamline of Elettra: recent outcomes and future prospects

• Giuliana Tromba (Elettra Sincrostrone Trieste)

Room: High Energy Building, Aula Touschek

The TwinMic spectromicroscopy beamline at Elettra: recent achievements and future perspective

• Alessandra Gianoncelli (INFN Trieste)

Room: High Energy Building, Aula Touschek Characterisation and exploiting properties of complex materials with high spatial resolution requires the deployment of multidisciplinary techniques and expertise. Soft X-ray microscopy, combining imaging and spectroscopy at sub-micron scales, has already been recognised as a powerful technique proving both morphological and chemical information. The TwinMic microscopy station [1] operated in the 400-2200 eV energy range at the Elettra synchrotron has been attracting different scientific community, from Life Sciences to Cultural Heritage and Material Science, thanks to its complementary imaging capabilities (brightfield and phase contrast) with spatial resolution down to sub 20nm with special CDI methods, combined with low energy X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) [2, 3] and X-ray absorption microspectroscopy. Unique feature is that the developed low energy XRF system enables monitoring light elements down to B. The presentation will use selected representative results to illustrate the recent achievements in the fields of neuroscience [4], nanotoxicology [5], clinical medicine [6,7], environmental science [8] and electrochemistry [9]. The progress in implementation of novel TwinMic imaging modalities for pushing the lateral resolution has recently been demonstrated by ptychography experiments with biological samples [10, 11]. Finally the first results of an on-going low energy XRF system development will be presented and discussed [12].

Overview of the Dafne-Light Facility

• Antonella Balerna (LNF)

Room: High Energy Building, Aula Touschek DAΦNE-Light is the Synchrotron Radiation Facility of the Frascati National Laboratories that with five beam lines covers the energy range going from infrared to soft x-rays. DAFNE-Light must be considered a material science facility but also a laboratory where it is possible to test new detectors and optics in a wide energy range. A short overview of the facility and of some interesting applications will be shown.

Visit to XLab-Frascati Laboratory

• Sultan Dabagov (LNF)

Room: High Energy Building, Aula Touschek

Discussion at AULA CONVERSI Room: High Energy Building, Aula Touschek