May 3, 2024

From the Shadows: A New Method for X-Ray Color Imaging

For their brand-new approach, the researchers utilized an X-ray color cam developed by PNSensor in Munich and an unique imaging system that basically consists of a specially structured, gold-coated plate in between the detector and the object, which means the sample casts a shadow.
The intensity pattern determined in the detector provides info about the circulation of the fluorescing atoms in the sample, which can then be decoded utilizing a computer algorithm. This brand-new technique suggests that the plate can be really close to the object or detector, unlike when utilizing an X-ray lens, which makes this a practical approach.
” We have actually developed an algorithm that permits us to quickly and robustly produce a sharp image, simultaneously for each X-ray color,” explains first author Dr. Jakob Soltau, a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for X-ray Physics at the University of Göttingen.
Co-author Paul Meyer, a doctoral trainee at the exact same institute, adds: “The optics just can not be compared to normal lenses; they were produced according to our exact requirements by a brand-new company in Switzerland.”
This start-up business, XRNanotech, specializes in nanostructures and was established by Dr. Florian Döhring who finished his Ph.D. at Göttingen University. Research study group leader Professor Tim Salditt concludes: “Next, we wish to extend this method to three-dimensional imaging of biological samples, in addition to exploring phenomena in imaging such as inelastic scattering of X-rays, neutrons, or gamma radiation in nuclear medicine.”
Recommendation: “Full-field x-ray fluorescence imaging utilizing a Fresnel zone plate coded aperture” by Jakob Soltau, Paul Meyer, Robert Hartmann, Lothar Strüder, Heike Soltau and Tim Salditt, 20 January 2023, Optica.DOI: 10.1364/ OPTICA.477809.

Two colors– green and magenta– are emitted by fluorescing atoms in the sample (left) due to X-Ray excitation. The algorithm then produces an actual image with 2 colors– the intensity of which represents the density of the fluorescing atoms within the sample.
Researchers at Göttingen University have actually devised a new method for X-ray color imaging.
Researchers at the University of Göttingen have developed a new approach to produce colored X-ray images. Previously, the only way to figure out the chemical structure and plan of components in a sample using X-ray fluorescence analysis was to focus X-rays on the whole sample and scan it, which was both lengthy and pricey. The brand-new approach permits the creation of an image of a large area with simply one direct exposure, removing the need for focusing and scanning. The findings were released in the journal Optica.
In contrast to noticeable light, there are no comparably powerful lenses for “invisible” radiation, such as Gamma, neutron, or x-ray radiation. Nevertheless, these types of radiation are important, for example, in nuclear medicine and radiology, along with in commercial testing and product analysis.
Utilizes for X-ray fluorescence consist of analyzing the structure of chemicals in paintings and cultural artifacts to determine origin, credibility, or production method, or the analysis of soil samples or plants in environmental management. The quality and pureness of semiconductor elements and computer chips can also be examined utilizing X-ray fluorescence analysis.

2 colors– green and magenta– are emitted by fluorescing atoms in the sample (left) due to X-Ray excitation. The algorithm then produces an actual image with two colors– the intensity of which represents the density of the fluorescing atoms within the sample. Researchers at the University of Göttingen have actually created a new technique to generate colored X-ray images. Previously, the only way to identify the chemical structure and arrangement of parts in a sample using X-ray fluorescence analysis was to focus X-rays on the entire sample and scan it, which was both lengthy and expensive.