Biological applications of phase-contrast tomography in the IMX beamline of LNLS

• Grant number: 14/07532-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2014
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics
• Principal Investigator: Mateus Borba Cardoso
• Grantee: Gabriel Bueno de Moraes Fior
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Conventional absorption-based X-ray computed tomography presents excellent results for high absorbing structures such as bones, but is unable of discriminating between various types of soft tissues. To overcome this limitation, several phase-contrast imaging techniques have been developed lately. One of them is grating interferometry, which has been successfully translated to work with laboratory X-ray sources and additionally allows for quantitative imaging. The objective of this work is to assemble an operating setup to perform such measurements at the IMX beamline of LNLS and use this setup to investigate standard samples. The project will be divided in three parts: (1) study of the theory already available in the literature regarding phase contrast imaging, (2) assembly of gratings, whilst the gratings are already available at the IMX beamline of LNLS and (3) measure standard samples to assess the working conditions of the grating interferometer.