X射线成像系统点扩展函数理论模型及其实验验证

X射线成像系统点扩展函数是影响X射线成像空间分辨率和密度分辨率的决定性因素,在系统分析X射线成像物理过程基础上,建立了X射线成像系统点扩展函数的一种数学解析模型,推导出了射束有效宽度计算公式,最后通过实验验证了模型的正确性。该模型为X射线成像系统空间分辨率和密度分辨率的初步设计和评定提供了理论依据,可作为X射线图像恢复算法中模糊函数的先验信息。     

高分辨率电子工业用数字化Ｘ射线检测系统

提出一种高分辨率电子工业用数字化Ｘ射线检测系统的总体设计方案,选择微焦斑X射线源和双近贴式X射线像增强器作为该系统的关键器件,分析了微焦斑X射线源的焦斑尺寸对系统分辨率的影响,并且建立了微焦斑X射线源和双近贴式X射线像增强器自身分辨率及成像的几何放大率对系统最终分辨率影响的数学模型。通过数学模型得出了几何放大率同系统分辨率的关系曲线。设计了光路及图像采集装置,并用VC 6.0完成了实用的X射线图像处理软件,研制了完整的成像系统样机并进行了调试与实验。这种成像系统有效视野可达75 mm,分辨率为160 lp/cm。     

Offner型成像光谱仪波长使用范围和光谱分辨率研究

研究了Offner型成像光谱仪消像差结构的参量和性能.用几何法推导出Offner型成像光谱仪的波长使用范围、系统线色散以及光谱分辨率的计算公式;在理想像差条件下,分析了Offner型成像光谱仪光谱分辨率与入射狭缝的宽度、凸面光栅分辨率和探测器像元尺寸各个因素之间的关系;探讨了提高光谱分辨率采用的方法和技术,解决了光谱仪的各个参量和光谱分辨率之间的矛盾.研究表明:当系统像差很小可忽略时,通过减小狭缝宽度,有利于提高光谱分辨率;Offner型成像光谱仪的分辨率由入射狭缝宽度、光栅和CCD像元尺寸三者中分辨本领最低的参量确定.     

球面弯晶的背光成像特性

通过对球面弯晶背光成像系统的分析,获得了空间分辨率、能量分辨率等关键性能参数随成像系统设计参数变化的关系。利用这一关系对背光成像系统的不同成像方式应用进行分析,并用光路追踪模拟进行验证。在此基础上,利用X射线衍射仪开展了单能成像系统的成像演示实验,获得与模拟和数值分析一致的结果。通过对成像系统的设计优化,这种高分辨单能成像技术将能够在神光激光装置上开展的物理实验中获得广泛应用。     

影响X射线像增强器分辨率的因素分析

对采用双近贴聚焦成像结构的MCP(Micro Channel Plate)-X射线像增强器的工作原理与结构进行了分析,对影响其空间分辨率的主要因素进行了研究.影响X射线成像系统分辨率的因素主要有X射线源焦斑的大小和X射线像增强器自身的分辨率,而影响X射线像增强器分辨率的因素主要有MCP输出面到荧光屏之间的距离、MCP输出面与荧光屏之间的电压差以及MCP自身的分辨率.通过对两种具有不同参量的X射线像增强器分辨率的理论计算及分辨率测试实验,将理论计算结果与测试实验结果对比,验证了分辨率计算公式及影响分辨率因素分析的正确性.     

通道调制型偏振成像系统的波段宽度限制判据

通道调制型偏振成像技术是一种体积紧凑、空间分辨率高且能够实时获取全偏振信息的新型偏振成像探测技术. 但该技术目前只能实现准单色光的全偏振探测, 严重制约了其实用化. 本文首先对宽带光通道调制型偏振成像出现混叠现象的原因进行了分析, 得出载波频率是限制波段宽度的主要因素. 据此在空间频谱域上分析并推导了通道调制型偏振成像系统的光谱宽度限制判据公式, 同时通过模型仿真得到了系统的极限有效光谱范围, 与理论推导公式结果进行了对比分析, 验证了判据的准确性. 基于该判据可预测给定通道调制型偏振成像系统的有效工作波段, 同时还可为扩展系统波段宽度提供理论支撑.     

变分贝叶斯解卷积法在激光反射层析成像中的应用

基于距离分辨的激光反射层析成像是一种兼顾远距离和高分辨率成像特点的新型激光成像系统。激光发射脉冲宽度大于采样周期时,接收回波被视作反射率分布与发射脉冲的卷积。在重构目标反射率分布轮廓时成像分辨率降低。运用变分贝叶斯方法对1维探测回波信号进行非盲解卷积处理,对探测回波进行脉冲压缩,有效解决了由卷积效应带来的图像降质。设计了激光反射层析实验,并对实测数据进行了处理。重构图像表明此方法有效提高了系统成像分辨率。     

一种基于毛细管X光透镜的微型锥束CT扫描仪

活体小动物成像系统是疾病研究、新药开发的重要组成部分.其中,X射线微型锥束计算机断层成像(X-ray micro cone-beam computed tomography,Micro-CBCT)能实现数十至数百微米空间分辨率的解剖结构成像研究.Micro-CBCT成像仪的一个关键挑战是其空间和对比度分辨率主要取决于X射线源焦斑大小、探测器分辨率和系统几何结构等因素.为提高Micro-CBCT的空间分辨率、对比度分辨率和成像均一性,本文基于毛细管X光透镜研制了一款能够调控照射X射线束斑孔径的Micro-CBCT扫描仪,用于小动物成像研究.此系统由微焦斑X射线源、非晶硅平板探测器、旋转工作台和控制电脑组成,并采用Feldkamp-Daivs-Kress算法重建投影图像.对该系统的性能进行了测试,结果表明,系统在10%调制传递函数下的空间分辨率为9.1 lp/mm,提高了1.35倍.同时,由于毛细管X光透镜对低能X射线的吸收和散射抑制作用,实现了2倍以上的对比度增强,减轻了多色X射线束硬化效应引起的图像均一性恶化问题.应用该Micro-CBCT系统对麻醉小鼠进行了活体成像,验证了该系统在小...     

基于光时分复用技术的高速成像系统北大核心CSCD

提出了一种基于光时分复用技术的高速成像系统。飞秒激光器中心波长1557nm,脉冲宽度90fs,对USAF-1951分辨率板线性扫描成像,扫描频率为38.88 MHz。在连续时间序列编码放大显微成像技术的基础上,运用光时分复用技术,复制光脉冲信号并携带检测物体相同的空间信息。原光脉冲和复制光脉冲以相同的采样率分别采样,通过相应的数据处理将两次采样数据整合在一起还原图像。实验结果表明,与传统的超快成像方法相比,成像系统利用10GHz的数字采样设备可以达到20GHz的采样率,采样点数是传统超快成像方法的两倍。该方法有效克服了成像系统采样率不足的问题,提高了成像系统的空间分辨率。与此同时,该系统算法复杂程度不高,有利于进一步促进超高速成像技术的发展。     

四通道球面弯晶成像系统设计及实验研究

基于动态X射线荧光成像技术对高集光效率、单色化成像诊断设备的需求,提出了一种四通道球面弯晶成像系统设计。采用“圆锥体”空间排布方式,解决了多个通道耦合问题。通过调整弯晶姿态,实现了像点的合理分布。针对4.51 keV能点,采用Ge(400)球面弯晶作为成像元件,给出了四通道弯晶成像系统的光学初始结构参数。在实验中利用Ti靶X射线光管,对单个通道进行了网格背光成像,获得的二维图像放大倍数为7.8倍,空间分辨率达到15 μm,初步验证了系统的成像性能。四通道弯晶成像系统与分幅相机结合,能有效解决动态X射线荧光成像技术信号弱、图像信噪比低的技术难点。     

电子束和X射线双曝光制作大高宽比高分辨率的X射线波带片

介绍了利用电子束和 X射线束双曝光技术制作大高宽比高分辨率的 X射线聚焦或色散元件的新方法 (波长范围为 1～ 5 nm )。所制做的厚度为 10μm的 Au波带片具有 30个波带 ,最外环的宽度为 0 .5μm。实验表明 :对 8ke V的X射线来说 ,波带片的衬度大于 10 ,分辨率为 0 .5 5μm,焦距为 2 1.3cm。     

Collimating Montel mirror as part of a multi‐crystal analyzer system for resonant inelastic X‐ray scattering

Advances in resonant inelastic X‐ray scattering (RIXS) have come in lockstep with improvements in energy resolution. Currently, the best energy resolution at the Ir L₃‐edge stands at ～25 meV, which is achieved using a diced Si(844) spherical crystal analyzer. However, spherical analyzers are limited by their intrinsic reflection width. A novel analyzer system using multiple flat crystals provides a promising way to overcome this limitation. For the present design, an energy resolution at or below 10 meV was selected. Recognizing that the angular acceptance of flat crystals is severely limited, a collimating element is essential to achieve the necessary solid‐angle acceptance. For this purpose, a laterally graded, parabolic, multilayer Montel mirror was designed for use at the Ir L₃‐absorption edge. It provides an acceptance larger than 10 mrad, collimating the reflected X‐ray beam to smaller than 100 µrad, in both vertical and horizontal directions. The performance of this mirror was studied at beamline 27‐ID at the Advanced Photon Source. X‐rays from a diamond (111) monochromator illuminated a scattering source of diameter 5 µm, generating an incident beam on the mirror with a well determined divergence of 40 mrad. A flat Si(111) crystal after the mirror served as the divergence analyzer. From X‐ray measurements, ray‐tracing simulations and optical metrology results, it was established that the Montel mirror satisfied the specifications of angular acceptance and collimation quality necessary for a high‐resolution RIXS multi‐crystal analyzer system.     

A sub‐micrometer resolution hard X‐ray microprobe system of BL8C at Pohang Light Source

A microprobe system has been installed on the nanoprobe/XAFS beamline (BL8C) at PLS‐II, South Korea. Owing to the reproducible switch of the gap of the in‐vacuum undulator (IVU), the intense and brilliant hard X‐ray beam of an IVU can be used in X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) and X‐ray absorption fine‐structure (XAFS) experiments. For high‐spatial‐resolution microprobe experiments a Kirkpatrick–Baez mirror system has been used to focus the millimeter‐sized X‐ray beam to a micrometer‐sized beam. The performance of this system was examined by a combination of micro‐XRF imaging and micro‐XAFS of a beetle wing. These results indicate that the microprobe system of the BL8C can be used to obtain the distributions of trace elements and chemical and structural information of complex materials.     

Diamond X‐ray beam‐position monitoring using signal readout at the synchrotron radiofrequency

Single‐crystal diamond is a material with great potential for the fabrication of X‐ray photon beam‐position monitors with submicrometre spatial resolution. Low X‐ray absorption combined with radiation hardness and excellent thermal‐mechanical properties make possible beam‐transmissive diamond devices for monitoring synchrotron and free‐electron laser X‐ray beams. Tests were made using a white bending‐magnet synchrotron X‐ray beam at DESY to investigate the performance of a position‐sensitive diamond device using radiofrequency readout electronics. The device uniformity and position response were measured in a 25 µm collimated X‐ray beam with an I‐Tech Libera `Brilliance' system. This readout system was designed for position measurement and feedback control of the electron beam in the synchrotron storage ring, but, as shown here, it can also be used for accurate position readout of a quadrant‐electrode single‐crystal diamond sensor. The centre‐of‐gravity position of the F4 X‐ray beam at the DORIS III synchrotron was measured with the diamond signal output digitally sampled at a rate of 130 Msample s^?1 by the Brilliance system. Narrow‐band filtering and digital averaging of the position signals resulted in a measured position noise below 50 nm (r.m.s.) for a 10 Hz bandwidth.     

First experiments on the Australian Synchrotron Imaging and Medical beamline,including investigations of the effective source size in respect of X‐ray imaging

The Imaging and Medical beamline at the Australian Synchrotron achieved `first light' in December 2008. Here, the first experiments performed on the beamline are reported, which involved both X‐ray imaging and tomography studies for a range of samples. The use of a plastic‐edge phantom for quantitative measurements of contrast and resolution proved to be very instructive and helped to confirm certain parameter values such as the effective horizontal source size, detector resolution and average X‐ray energy for the polychromatic beam.     

A new approach to synchrotron energy‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction computed tomography

A new data collection strategy for performing synchrotron energy‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction computed tomography has been devised. This method is analogous to angle‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction whose diffraction signal originates from a line formed by intersection of the incident X‐ray beam and the sample. Energy resolution is preserved by using a collimator which defines a small sampling voxel. This voxel is translated in a series of parallel straight lines covering the whole sample and the operation is repeated at different rotation angles, thus generating one diffraction pattern per translation and rotation step. The method has been tested by imaging a specially designed phantom object, devised to be a demanding validator for X‐ray diffraction imaging. The relative strengths and weaknesses of the method have been analysed with respect to the classic angle‐dispersive technique. The reconstruction accuracy of the method is good, although an absorption correction is required for lower energy diffraction because of the large path lengths involved. The spatial resolution is only limited to the width of the scanning beam owing to the novel collection strategy. The current temporal resolution is poor, with a scan taking several hours. The method is best suited to studying large objects (e.g. for engineering and materials science applications) because it does not suffer from diffraction peak broadening effects irrespective of the sample size, in contrast to the angle‐dispersive case.     

Dose,exposure time and resolution in serial X‐ray crystallography

The resolution of X‐ray diffraction microscopy is limited by the maximum dose that can be delivered prior to sample damage. In the proposed serial crystallography method, the damage problem is addressed by distributing the total dose over many identical hydrated macromolecules running continuously in a single‐file train across a continuous X‐ray beam, and resolution is then limited only by the available molecular and X‐ray fluxes and molecular alignment. Orientation of the diffracting molecules is achieved by laser alignment. The incident X‐ray fluence (energy/area) is evaluated that is required to obtain a given resolution from (i) an analytical model, giving the count rate at the maximum scattering angle for a model protein, (ii) explicit simulation of diffraction patterns for a GroEL–GroES protein complex, and (iii) the spatial frequency cut‐off of the transfer function following iterative solution of the phase problem, and reconstruction of an electron density map in the projection approximation. These calculations include counting shot noise and multiple starts of the phasing algorithm. The results indicate counting time and the number of proteins needed within the beam at any instant for a given resolution and X‐ray flux. An inverse fourth‐power dependence of exposure time on resolution is confirmed, with important implications for all coherent X‐ray imaging. It is found that multiple single‐file protein beams will be needed for sub‐nanometer resolution on current third‐generation synchrotrons, but not on fourth‐generation designs, where reconstruction of secondary protein structure at a resolution of 7 Å should be possible with relatively short exposures.     

Characteristics of a robust and portable large area X‐ray fluorescence imaging system

A low‐cost and portable Energy Disperse X‐Ray Fluorescence imaging system is presented. It is capable of scanning large areas (up to 10 × 10 cm²) in steps as small as 0.2 mm. It consists of a small X‐ray tube and a Silicon Drift Detector, both controlled by a homemade software. The spatial resolution is evaluated as a function of the step width and of the X‐ray collimator diameter. The time of acquisition per unit of scanned surface is studied as a function of the step width and of the time of acquisition per point. X‐ray fluorescence images showing the 2D distributions of some elements in biological samples are presented. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

X‐ray beam‐position feedback system with easy‐to‐use beam‐position monitor

X‐ray beam‐position stability is indispensable in cutting‐edge experiments using synchrotron radiation. Here, for the first time, a beam‐position feedback system is presented that utilizes an easy‐to‐use X‐ray beam‐position monitor incorporating a diamond‐fluorescence screen. The acceptable range of the monitor is above 500 µm and the feedback system maintains the beam position within 3 µm. In addition to being inexpensive, the system has two key advantages: it works without a scale factor for position calibration, and it has no dependence on X‐ray energy, X‐ray intensity, beam size or beam shape.     

X‐ray position‐sensitive duo‐lateral diamond detectors at SOLEIL

The performance of a diamond X‐ray beam position monitor is reported. This detector consists of an ionization solid‐state chamber based on a thin single‐crystal chemical‐vapour‐deposition diamond with position‐sensitive resistive electrodes in a duo‐lateral configuration. The detector's linearity, homogeneity and responsivity were studied on beamlines at Synchrotron SOLEIL with various beam sizes, intensities and energies. These measurements demonstrate the large and homogeneous (absorption variation of less than 0.7% over 500 µm × 500 µm) active area of the detector, with linear responses independent of the X‐ray beam spatial distribution. Due to the excellent charge collection efficiency (approaching 100%) and intensity sensitivity (0.05%), the detector allows monitoring of the incident beam flux precisely. In addition, the in‐beam position resolution was compared with a theoretical analysis providing an estimation of the detector's beam position resolution capability depending on the experimental conditions (X‐ray flux, energy and readout acquisition time).