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De Marco F, Andrejewski J, Urban T, Willer K, Gromann L, Koehler T, Maack HI, Herzen J, Pfeiffer F. X-Ray Dark-Field Signal Reduction Due to Hardening of the Visibility Spectrum. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MEDICAL IMAGING 2024; 43:1422-1433. [PMID: 38032773 DOI: 10.1109/tmi.2023.3337994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
X-ray dark-field imaging enables a spatially-resolved visualization of ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering. Using phantom measurements, we demonstrate that a material's effective dark-field signal may be reduced by modification of the visibility spectrum by other dark-field-active objects in the beam. This is the dark-field equivalent of conventional beam-hardening, and is distinct from related, known effects, where the dark-field signal is modified by attenuation or phase shifts. We present a theoretical model for this group of effects and verify it by comparison to the measurements. These findings have significant implications for the interpretation of dark-field signal strength in polychromatic measurements.
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Organista C, Tang R, Shi Z, Jefimovs K, Josell D, Romano L, Spindler S, Kibleur P, Blykers B, Stampanoni M, Boone MN. Implementation of a dual-phase grating interferometer for multi-scale characterization of building materials by tunable dark-field imaging. Sci Rep 2024; 14:384. [PMID: 38172504 PMCID: PMC10764912 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50424-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The multi-scale characterization of building materials is necessary to understand complex mechanical processes, with the goal of developing new more sustainable materials. To that end, imaging methods are often used in materials science to characterize the microscale. However, these methods compromise the volume of interest to achieve a higher resolution. Dark-field (DF) contrast imaging is being investigated to characterize building materials in length scales smaller than the resolution of the imaging system, allowing a direct comparison of features in the nano-scale range and overcoming the scale limitations of the established characterization methods. This work extends the implementation of a dual-phase X-ray grating interferometer (DP-XGI) for DF imaging in a lab-based setup. The interferometer was developed to operate at two different design energies of 22.0 keV and 40.8 keV and was designed to characterize nanoscale-size features in millimeter-sized material samples. The good performance of the interferometer in the low energy range (LER) is demonstrated by the DF retrieval of natural wood samples. In addition, a high energy range (HER) configuration is proposed, resulting in higher mean visibility and good sensitivity over a wider range of correlation lengths in the nanoscale range. Its potential for the characterization of mineral building materials is illustrated by the DF imaging of a Ketton limestone. Additionally, the capability of the DP-XGI to differentiate features in the nanoscale range is proven with the dark-field of Silica nanoparticles at different correlation lengths of calibrated sizes of 106 nm, 261 nm, and 507 nm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caori Organista
- Radiation Physics Research group, Department Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
- Centre for X-ray Tomography, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
- UGent‑Woodlab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
- Pore-Scale Processes in Geomaterials Research Group (PProGRess), Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Ruizhi Tang
- Radiation Physics Research group, Department Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for X-ray Tomography, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Zhitian Shi
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | | | - Daniel Josell
- Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Lucia Romano
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Simon Spindler
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Pierre Kibleur
- Centre for X-ray Tomography, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
- UGent‑Woodlab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Benjamin Blykers
- Centre for X-ray Tomography, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
- Pore-Scale Processes in Geomaterials Research Group (PProGRess), Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marco Stampanoni
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Matthieu N Boone
- Radiation Physics Research group, Department Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for X-ray Tomography, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
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Tang R, Organista C, Romano L, Van Hoorebeke L, Stampanoni M, Aelterman J, Boone MN. Pixel-wise beam-hardening correction for dark-field signal in X-ray dual-phase grating interferometry. OPTICS EXPRESS 2023; 31:40450-40468. [PMID: 38041345 DOI: 10.1364/oe.499397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
The dark-field signal provided by X-ray grating interferometry is an invaluable tool for providing structural information beyond the direct spatial resolution and their variations on a macroscopic scale. However, when using a polychromatic source, the beam-hardening effect in the dark-field signal makes the quantitative sub-resolution structural information inaccessible. Especially, the beam-hardening effect in dual-phase grating interferometry varies with spatial location, inter-grating distance, and diffraction order. In this work, we propose a beam-hardening correction algorithm, taking into account all these factors. The accuracy and robustness of the algorithm are then validated by experimental results. This work contributes a necessary step toward accessing small-angle scattering structural information in dual-phase grating interferometry.
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How YY, Paganin DM, Morgan KS. On the quantification of sample microstructure using single-exposure x-ray dark-field imaging via a single-grid setup. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11001. [PMID: 37419926 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37334-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The size of the smallest detectable sample feature in an x-ray imaging system is usually restricted by the spatial resolution of the system. This limitation can now be overcome using the diffusive dark-field signal, which is generated by unresolved phase effects or the ultra-small-angle x-ray scattering from unresolved sample microstructures. A quantitative measure of this dark-field signal can be useful in revealing the microstructure size or material for medical diagnosis, security screening and materials science. Recently, we derived a new method to quantify the diffusive dark-field signal in terms of a scattering angle using a single-exposure grid-based approach. In this manuscript, we look at the problem of quantifying the sample microstructure size from this single-exposure dark-field signal. We do this by quantifying the diffusive dark-field signal produced by 5 different sizes of polystyrene microspheres, ranging from 1.0 to 10.8 µm, to investigate how the strength of the extracted dark-field signal changes with the sample microstructure size, [Formula: see text]. We also explore the feasibility of performing single-exposure dark-field imaging with a simple equation for the optimal propagation distance, given microstructure with a specific size and thickness, and show consistency between this model and experimental data. Our theoretical model predicts that the dark-field scattering angle is inversely proportional to [Formula: see text], which is also consistent with our experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Ying How
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
| | - David M Paganin
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Kaye S Morgan
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
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Spindler S, Etter D, Rawlik M, Polikarpov M, Romano L, Shi Z, Jefimovs K, Wang Z, Stampanoni M. The choice of an autocorrelation length in dark-field lung imaging. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2731. [PMID: 36792717 PMCID: PMC9932147 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29762-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Respiratory diseases are one of the most common causes of death, and their early detection is crucial for prompt treatment. X-ray dark-field radiography (XDFR) is a promising tool to image objects with unresolved micro-structures such as lungs. Using Talbot-Lau XDFR, we imaged inflated porcine lungs together with Polymethylmethacrylat (PMMA) microspheres (in air) of diameter sizes between 20 and 500 [Formula: see text] over an autocorrelation range of 0.8-5.2 [Formula: see text]. The results indicate that the dark-field extinction coefficient of porcine lungs is similar to that of densely-packed PMMA spheres with diameter of [Formula: see text], which is approximately the mean alveolar structure size. We evaluated that, in our case, the autocorrelation length would have to be limited to [Formula: see text] in order to image [Formula: see text]-thick lung tissue without critical visibility reduction (signal saturation). We identify the autocorrelation length to be the critical parameter of an interferometer that allows to avoid signal saturation in clinical lung dark-field imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Spindler
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232, Villigen, Switzerland. .,Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Dominik Etter
- grid.5991.40000 0001 1090 7501Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland ,grid.482286.2Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Michał Rawlik
- grid.5991.40000 0001 1090 7501Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland ,grid.482286.2Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Maxim Polikarpov
- grid.5991.40000 0001 1090 7501Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland ,grid.482286.2Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lucia Romano
- grid.5991.40000 0001 1090 7501Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland ,grid.482286.2Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Zhitian Shi
- grid.5991.40000 0001 1090 7501Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland ,grid.482286.2Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Konstantins Jefimovs
- grid.5991.40000 0001 1090 7501Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Zhentian Wang
- grid.482286.2Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland ,grid.12527.330000 0001 0662 3178Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Haidian District, 100080 Beijing, China ,grid.419897.a0000 0004 0369 313XKey Laboratory of Particle & Radiation Imaging, (Tsinghua University) Ministry of Education, Haidian District, 100080 Beijing, China
| | - Marco Stampanoni
- grid.5991.40000 0001 1090 7501Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland ,grid.482286.2Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
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Blykers BK, Organista C, Kagias M, Marone F, Stampanoni M, Boone MN, Cnudde V, Aelterman J. Exploration of the X-ray Dark-Field Signal in Mineral Building Materials. J Imaging 2022; 8:jimaging8100282. [PMID: 36286376 PMCID: PMC9604867 DOI: 10.3390/jimaging8100282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Mineral building materials suffer from weathering processes such as salt efflorescence, freeze-thaw cycling, and microbial colonization. All of these processes are linked to water (liquid and vapor) in the pore space. The degree of damage following these processes is heavily influenced by pore space properties such as porosity, pore size distribution, and pore connectivity. X-ray computed micro-tomography (µCT) has proven to be a valuable tool to non-destructively investigate the pore space of stone samples in 3D. However, a trade-off between the resolution and field-of-view often impedes reliable conclusions on the material's properties. X-ray dark-field imaging (DFI) is based on the scattering of X-rays by sub-voxel-sized features, and as such, provides information on the sample complementary to that obtained using conventional µCT. In this manuscript, we apply X-ray dark-field tomography for the first time on four mineral building materials (quartzite, fired clay brick, fired clay roof tile, and carbonated mineral building material), and investigate which information the dark-field signal entails on the sub-resolution space of the sample. Dark-field tomography at multiple length scale sensitivities was performed at the TOMCAT beamline of the Swiss Light Source (Villigen, Switzerland) using a Talbot grating interferometer. The complementary information of the dark-field modality is most clear in the fired clay brick and roof tile; quartz grains that are almost indistinguishable in the conventional µCT scan are clearly visible in the dark-field owing to their low dark-field signal (homogenous sub-voxel structure), whereas the microporous bulk mass has a high dark-field signal. Large (resolved) pores on the other hand, which are clearly visible in the absorption dataset, are almost invisible in the dark-field modality because they are overprinted with dark-field signal originating from the bulk mass. The experiments also showed how the dark-field signal from a feature depends on the length scale sensitivity, which is set by moving the sample with respect to the grating interferometer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin K. Blykers
- Pore-Scale Processes in Geomaterials Research Group (PProGRess), Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Ghent University Centre for X-ray Tomography (UGCT), 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Correspondence:
| | - Caori Organista
- Ghent University Centre for X-ray Tomography (UGCT), 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Matias Kagias
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
- Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Federica Marone
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Marco Stampanoni
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Matthieu N. Boone
- Ghent University Centre for X-ray Tomography (UGCT), 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Veerle Cnudde
- Pore-Scale Processes in Geomaterials Research Group (PProGRess), Department of Geology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Ghent University Centre for X-ray Tomography (UGCT), 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Environmental Hydrogeology, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Aelterman
- Ghent University Centre for X-ray Tomography (UGCT), 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Image Processing and Interpretation, TELIN Department, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Shi Z, Jefimovs K, Romano L, Vila-Comamala J, Stampanoni M. Laboratory X-ray interferometry imaging with a fan-shaped source grating. OPTICS LETTERS 2021; 46:3693-3696. [PMID: 34329258 DOI: 10.1364/ol.426867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The orientation mismatch between the cone beam of an X-ray tube and the grating lines in a flat substrate remains a big challenge for laboratory grating-based X-ray interferometry, since it severely limits the imaging field of view. Here, we fabricated fan-shaped G0 source gratings by modulating the electric field during the deep reactive ion etching of silicon. The gold electroplated fan-shaped G0 grating (3.0 µm pitch) in a 20 keV interferometer improves the uniformity of the field of view with an increase of average visibility from 16.2% to 18.5% and a better angular sensitivity (by a factor 5.8) at the edges.
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Ge Y, Chen J, Yang J, Zhu P, Zhang H, Zheng H, Liang D. Angular sensitivity of an x-ray differential phase contrast imaging system with real and virtual source images. OPTICS LETTERS 2021; 46:2791-2794. [PMID: 34061115 DOI: 10.1364/ol.416621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this work, a novel, to the best of our knowledge, approach based on an x-ray thin lens imaging theory is proposed to predict the angular sensitivity responses of dual-phase-grating differential phase contrast (DPC) interferometers. Experimental validations have been performed to demonstrate the high accuracy of theoretical predictions using two different setups: one with real source images and the other with virtual source images. This new sensitivity calculation method is helpful to optimize the DPC imaging performance of a dual-phase-grating system.
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Yan A, Wu X, Liu H. Sample phase gradient and fringe phase shift in triple phase grating X-ray interferometry. OSA CONTINUUM 2020; 3:2782-2796. [PMID: 34263146 PMCID: PMC8277112 DOI: 10.1364/osac.405190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Triple phase grating X-ray interferometry is a promising new technique of grating based X-ray differential phase contrast imaging. Accurate retrieval of sample phase gradients from measured interference fringe shifts is a key task in X-ray interferometry. To fulfill this task in triple phase grating X-ray interferometry with monochromatic X-ray sources, the authors derived exact formulas relating sample phase gradient to fringe phase shift. These formulas not only provide a design optimization tool for triple phase grating interferometry, but also lay a foundation for quantitative phase contrast imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimin Yan
- Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35249, USA
| | - Xizeng Wu
- Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35249, USA
| | - Hong Liu
- Center for Bioengineering and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
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