X-ray phase-contrast imaging with Edge Illumination and Coded Aperture systems

by Marco Endrizzi (INFN)

Monday 22 Jul 2013, 15:00 → 16:30 Europe/Rome

131 (INFN edificio C)

High phase sensitivity can be obtained with simple and flexible set-ups based on the Edge illumination principle.  This concept, developed at the Elettra synchrotron facility, can be adapted for area imaging with conventional X-ray tubes by means of Coded Aperture systems. Two imaging prototypes based on this principle have been built in the laboratories of the radiation physics group at UCL, and since then methods for X-ray phase-contrast imaging have been under continuous development. Coded Aperture systems are relatively insensitive to mechanical instabilities and thermal stress, can be adapted to the divergent and polychromatic beams and work efficiently with source sizes up to 100 microns, compatible with standard mammography units. Most recent activity focused on application such as breast and cartilage imaging, composite materials inspection and non-destructive testing, and on methods such as quantitative phase retrieval, computed tomography and tomosynthesis. The technique is very powerful, versatile and is able to target a large number of different applications.