Phase retrieval for Bragg coherent diffraction imaging at high X-ray energies

Abstract

Coherent X-ray beams with energies \(\geq 50\) keV can potentially enable three-dimensional imaging of atomic lattice distortion fields within individual crystallites in bulk polycrystalline materials through Bragg coherent diffraction imaging (BCDI). However, the undersampling of the diffraction signal due to Fourier space compression at high X-ray energies renders conventional phase retrieval algorithms unsuitable for three-dimensional reconstruction. To address this problem we utilize a phase retrieval method with a Fourier constraint specifically tailored for undersampled diffraction data measured with coarse-pitched detector pixels that bin the underlying signal. With our approach, we show that it is possible to reconstruct three-dimensional strained crystallites from an undersampled Bragg diffraction data set subject to pixel-area integration without having to physically upsample the diffraction signal. Using simulations and experimental results, we demonstrate that explicit modeling of Fourier space compression during phase retrieval provides a viable means by which to invert high-energy BCDI data, which is otherwise intractable.