Tomographic reconstruction using tilted Laue analyser-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging.

Analyser-based phase-contrast imaging (ABPCI) is a highly sensitive phase-contrast imaging method that produces high-contrast images of weakly absorbing materials. However, it is only sensitive to phase gradient components lying in the diffraction plane of the analyser crystal [i.e. in one dimension (1-D)]. In order to accurately account for and measure phase effects produced by the wavefield-sample interaction, ABPCI and other 1-D phase-sensitive methods must achieve 2-D phase gradient sensitivity. An inclined geometry method was applied to a Laue geometry setup for X-ray ABPCI through rotation of the detector and object about the optical axis. This allowed this traditionally 1-D phase-sensitive phase-contrast method to possess 2-D phase gradient sensitivity. Tomographic datasets were acquired over 360° of a multi-material phantom with the detector and sample tilted by 8°. The real and imaginary parts of the refractive index were reconstructed for the phantom.