Scattering-Based X-ray Imaging and Tomography

Informations projet

S-BaXIT

N° de convention de subvention: 866026

DOI

10.3030/866026

Date de signature de la CE 14 Avril 2020

Date de début 1 Septembre 2020

Date de fin 28 Février 2027

Financé au titre de

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Coût total

€ 2 212 913,75

Contribution de l’UE

€ 2 212 913,75

Coordonné par

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRIESTE
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - S-BaXIT (Scattering-Based X-ray Imaging and Tomography)

Période du rapport: 2023-09-01 au 2025-02-28

Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet

X-ray imaging is a widely used technique to obtain images of the internal structure of objects. However, conventional X-ray imaging disregards scattering phenomena, which carry valuable information. Phase-contrast and coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) are techniques that use scattering to extract more information from a sample. Ptychography, a type of CDI, is a powerful method that produces high-resolution three-dimensional images of a sample's X-ray transmission function. Other techniques that combine imaging and scattering include dark-field imaging, scanning SAXS, and diffraction contrast tomography. Integrating scattering phenomena within X-ray imaging models is a challenging but crucial task to make imaging more robust and extract valuable information.

The goal of the S-BaXIT (Scattering-Based X-ray Imaging and Tomography) project is to use X-ray scattering phenomena for imaging applications. In the context of imaging, X-ray scattering is a powerful phenomenon that is however difficult to harness. The X-ray imaging community has yet to tap into the full potential of scattering phenomena, in most part because of the complex measurement tasks involved. Within this project, the general principle used to extract and disentangle information is to exploit data redundancy produced when taking multiple images with known variations, such as simple rotations or translations of the imaged object. Far from being confined to theoretical and algorithmic developments, this multidisciplinary research project includes experimental developments, validations, and applications, thus maximising its impact.

Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent

Construction of the new laboratory lasted most of the project’s first half. Entirely built from the ground up, the Optimal Imaging and Tomography (OptImaTo) laboratory is equipped with cutting-edge technology that sets it apart from others. A robotic arm can manipulate samples on a micrometric scale, while the powerful liquid anode X-ray source and photon-counting detector offer high-quality images in very short times.

The methods developed by the team make use of X-ray interaction phenomena such as refraction and scattering, to reveal features that are invisible with conventional X-ray tomography techniques. An approach favoured by the group, which is both highly effective and unusual, involves the use of sandpaper to generate patterned illuminations that encode information about the samples being imaged. The team excels in the development of computational methods to reconstruct and interpret the information contained in these images.

Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent)

By the end of the S-BaXIT project, the OptImaTo team will have built a suite of powerful scattering-aware reconstruction tools, with which methods such as speckle-based imaging and tomography will be able to overcome the current technical challenges slowing down the wide-spread adoption of X-ray phase-contrast and dark-field imaging in research and industry.

These computational and experimental methods will be demonstrated with a variety of highly relevant systems, including the visualisation of the three-dimensional orientation of carbon fibres in materials used for aerospace, the three-dimensional structure of marine animal samples to investigate the effects of climate change and pollution, and palaeontological and cultural heritage artefacts.

X-ray directional scattering by carbon fibres reveal their ordering and orientation (colour-coded)