Recent Advances in X-ray Phase Imaging

TLDR

Since the mid‑1990s, X‑ray phase imaging has attracted increasing attention, offering extremely high sensitivity for weak‑absorbing materials such as soft tissues, and is mainly targeted at medical and biological imaging, with progress supported by advances in synchrotron sources, optical elements, and detectors. The article describes the advantages of using X‑ray phase information and reviews various techniques studied for X‑ray phase imaging. It surveys the range of techniques developed for X‑ray phase imaging.

Abstract

Since the middle of the 1990s, X-ray phase imaging including phase tomography has been attracting increasing attention. The advantage of X-ray phase imaging is that an extremely high sensitivity is achieved for weak-absorbing materials, such as biological soft tissues, which generate a poor contrast by conventional methods. Medical and biological imaging is the main target of X-ray phase imaging, and several trials using synchrotron radiation sources and laboratory sources have been made. Measuring and controlling the X-ray phase are also significant for X-ray microscopy with a high spatial resolution, and innovative techniques are attracting intense interest. The progress of X-ray phase imaging is supported by the developments in X-ray sources such as third-generation synchrotron radiation sources, optical elements, and image detectors. This article describes the advantages of using X-ray phase information and reviews various techniques studied for X-ray phase imaging.