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      Quantitative X-ray phase-contrast microtomography from a compact laser-driven betatron source

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          Abstract

          X-ray phase-contrast imaging has recently led to a revolution in resolving power and tissue contrast in biomedical imaging, microscopy and materials science. The necessary high spatial coherence is currently provided by either large-scale synchrotron facilities with limited beamtime access or by microfocus X-ray tubes with rather limited flux. X-rays radiated by relativistic electrons driven by well-controlled high-power lasers offer a promising route to a proliferation of this powerful imaging technology. A laser-driven plasma wave accelerates and wiggles electrons, giving rise to a brilliant keV X-ray emission. This so-called betatron radiation is emitted in a collimated beam with excellent spatial coherence and remarkable spectral stability. Here we present a phase-contrast microtomogram of a biological sample using betatron X-rays. Comprehensive source characterization enables the reconstruction of absolute electron densities. Our results suggest that laser-based X-ray technology offers the potential for filling the large performance gap between synchrotron- and current X-ray tube-based sources.

          Abstract

          With excellent resolving power and tissue contrast, X-ray phase-contrast imaging holds great promise but the source requirements have limited its use. Here, Wenz et al. show a phase-contrast microtomogram of a biological sample using X-ray radiation driven by a high-power laser.

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          Most cited references32

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          Phase retrieval and differential phase-contrast imaging with low-brilliance X-ray sources

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            Phase-contrast imaging using polychromatic hard X-rays

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              Production of a keV X-Ray Beam from Synchrotron Radiation in Relativistic Laser-Plasma Interaction

              We demonstrate that a beam of x-ray radiation can be generated by simply focusing a single high-intensity laser pulse into a gas jet. A millimeter-scale laser-produced plasma creates, accelerates, and wiggles an ultrashort and relativistic electron bunch. As they propagate in the ion channel produced in the wake of the laser pulse, the accelerated electrons undergo betatron oscillations, generating a femtosecond pulse of synchrotron radiation, which has keV energy and lies within a narrow (50 mrad) cone angle.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Nat Commun
                Nat Commun
                Nature Communications
                Nature Pub. Group
                2041-1723
                20 July 2015
                2015
                : 6
                : 7568
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Fakultät für Physik , Am Coulombwall 1, Garching 85748, Germany
                [2 ]MPI für Quantenoptik, Abteilung für Attosekundenphysik , Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, Garching 85748, Germany
                [3 ]Lehrstuhl für Biomedizinische Physik, Physik-Department & Institut für Medizintechnik, Technische Universität München , Garching 85748, Germany
                [4 ]Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Clinical Sciences, Lund University , Barngatan 2:B, Lund 22185, Sweden
                [5 ]Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London , Gower street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
                Author notes
                Author information
                http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9109-7175
                Article
                ncomms8568
                10.1038/ncomms8568
                4518247
                26189811
                2077ae8e-db53-467d-a60e-b192eb1ef15d
                Copyright © 2015, Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

                History
                : 16 December 2014
                : 19 May 2015
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