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D Paganin

Publications and source records attributed to D Paganin.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Dynamic imaging of the lungs using x-ray phase contrast.

High quality real-time imaging of lungs in vivo presents considerable challenges. We demonstrate here that phase contrast x-ray imaging is capable of dynamically imaging the lungs. It retains many of the advantages of simple x-ray imaging, whilst also being able to map weakly absorbing soft tissues based on refractive index differences. Preliminary results reported herein show that this novel imaging technique can identify and locate airway liquid and allows lung aeration in newborn rabbit pups to be dynamically visualized.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Phase contrast X-ray imaging of mice and rabbit lungs: a comparative study.

The significant degree of X-ray phase contrast created by air-tissue interfaces, coupled with the poor radiographic contrast of conventional chest radiographs, makes the inflated lung an ideal candidate for investigating the potential diagnostic improvement afforded by phase contrast X-ray imaging. In small animals these methods highlight the lung airways and lobe boundaries and reveal the lung tissue as a speckled intensity pattern not seen in other soft tissues. We have compared analyser-based and propagation-based phase contrast imaging modalities, together with conventional radiographic imaging, to ascertain which technique shows the greatest image enhancement for various lung sizes. The conventional radiographic image of a mouse was obtained on a Siemens Nova 3000 mammography system, whilst phase contrast images of mice and rabbit chests were acquired at the medical imaging beamline (20B2) at the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation research facility in Japan. For mice aged 1 day, 1 week and 1 month old it was determined that analyser-based imaging showed the greatest overall image contrast, however, for an adult rabbit both techniques yielded excellent contrast. The success of these methods in creating high quality images for rabbit lungs raises the possibility of improving human lung imaging using phase contrast techniques.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

On the origin of speckle in x-ray phase contrast images of lung tissue.

Phase contrast x-ray imaging of small animal lungs reveals a speckled intensity pattern not seen in other tissues, making the lungs highly visible in comparison to other organs. Although bearing a superficial resemblance to alveoli, the cause of this speckle has not been established. With a view to determining the mechanism for the formation of speckle, this paper details the results of propagation-based phase contrast experiments performed on mice lungs, together with packed glass microspheres used to emulate lung tissue. These experimental studies are compared to numerical simulations, based on wave propagation techniques. We find that speckle arises from focusing effects, with multiple alveoli acting as aberrated compound refractive lenses. Both experiments and modelling suggest that this speckle-formation phenomenon may lead to better screening methods for human lungs than conventional radiography.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2004

Thermal and cold neutron phase-contrast radiography.

In this paper, we will discuss a phase-contrast imaging method that avoids the complications of interferometry to provide phase contrast in weakly absorbing samples. A transversely coherent neutron beam is used with the traditional radiography scheme. Images taken with this scheme show dramatic intensity variations due to sharp changes in the neutron wave refractive index. With some numerical processing these images may be used to reconstruct a quantitative phase radiograph of specimens imaged with this technique.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Quantitative phase-amplitude microscopy. III. The effects of noise.

We explore the effect of noise on images obtained using quantitative phase-amplitude microscopy - a new microscopy technique based on the determination of phase from the intensity evolution of propagating radiation. We compare the predictions with experimental results and also propose an approach that allows good-quality quantitative phase retrieval to be obtained even for very noisy data.

Artifacts↗
PubMed2004

X-ray omni microscopy.

The science of wave-field phase retrieval and phase measurement is sufficiently mature to permit the routine reconstruction, over a given plane, of the complex wave-function associated with certain coherent forward-propagating scalar wave-fields. This reconstruction gives total knowledge of the information that has been encoded in the complex wave-field by passage through a sample of interest. Such total knowledge is powerful, because it permits the emulation in software of the subsequent action of an infinite variety of coherent imaging systems. Such 'virtual optics', in which software forms a natural extension of the 'hardware optics' in an imaging system, may be useful in contexts such as quantitative atom and X-ray imaging, in which optical elements such as beam-splitters and lenses can be realized in software rather than optical hardware. Here, we develop the requisite theory to describe such hybrid virtual-physical imaging systems, which we term 'omni optics' because of their infinite flexibility. We then give an experimental demonstration of these ideas by showing that a lensless X-ray point projection microscope can, when equipped with the appropriate software, emulate an infinite variety of optical imaging systems including those which yield interferograms, Zernike phase contrast, Schlieren imaging and diffraction-enhanced imaging.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Simultaneous phase and amplitude extraction from a single defocused image of a homogeneous object.

We demonstrate simultaneous phase and amplitude extraction from a single defocused image of a homogeneous object. Subject to the assumptions explicitly stated in the derivation, the algorithm solves the twin-image problem of in-line holography and is capable of analysing data obtained using X-ray microscopy, electron microscopy, neutron microscopy or visible-light microscopy, especially as they relate to defocus and point projection methods. Our simple, robust, non-iterative and computationally efficient method is applied to data obtained using an X-ray phase contrast ultramicroscope.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Quantitative X-ray projection microscopy: phase-contrast and multi-spectral imaging.

We outline a new approach to X-ray projection microscopy in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), which exploits phase contrast to boost the quality and information content of images. These developments have been made possible by the combination of a high-brightness field-emission gun (FEG)-based SEM, direct detection CCD technology and new phase retrieval algorithms. Using this approach we have been able to obtain spatial resolution of < 0.2 micro m and have demonstrated novel features such as: (i) phase-contrast enhanced visibility of high spatial frequency image features (e.g. edges and boundaries) over a wide energy range; (ii) energy-resolved imaging to simultaneously produce multiple quasi-monochromatic images using broad-band polychromatic illumination; (iii) easy implementation of microtomography; (iv) rapid and robust phase/amplitude-retrieval algorithms to enable new real-time and quantitative modes of microscopic imaging. These algorithms can also be applied successfully to recover object-plane information from intermediate-field images, unlocking the potentially greater contrast and resolution of the intermediate-field regime. Widespread applications are envisaged for fields such as materials science, biological and biomedical research and microelectronics device inspection. Some illustrative examples are presented. The quantitative methods described here are also very relevant to projection microscopy using other sources of radiation, such as visible light and electrons.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Computational aberration correction for an arbitrary linear imaging system.

We show that aberration corrections can be made in any arbitrary linear imaging system provided the aberrations are well characterized and at least one of these aberrations can be independently varied in a well-controlled manner. We derive a generalization of the Schrödinger equation for wave propagation in aberration space assuming forward scattering. Transport equations in aberration space are derived. A general iterative algorithm which can retrieve the phase, and is robust in the presence of noise, is also derived. This is demonstrated using simulated data pertinent to electron microscopy, from a series of images with differing spherical aberration.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Quantitative in-line phase-contrast imaging with multienergy X rays.

We present a new method for quantitative nondestructive characterization of objects by x-ray phase-contrast imaging. Spatial distributions of the projected values of the complex refractive index in the sample are reconstructed by processing near-field images collected at a fixed sample-to-detector distance using a polychromatic incident beam and an energy-sensitive area detector, such as a CCD used in the photon-counting spectroscopy mode. The method has the potential advantages of decreased radiation dose and increased accuracy compared to conventional techniques of x-ray imaging.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Phase retrieval from images in the presence of first-order vortices.

We discuss retrieval of the phase of quantum-mechanical and classical wave fields in the presence of first-order vortices. A practical method of phase retrieval is demonstrated which is robust in the presence of noise. Conditions for the uniqueness of the retrieved phase are discussed and we show that determination of the phase in a given plane requires a series of at least three two-dimensional intensity images at different propagation distances. The method is applicable to a wide range of scenarios such as the imaging of imperfect crystals, quantitative determination of the strength of vortex filaments in high-temperature superconductors, and x-ray and electron holography.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Phase retrieval and aberration correction in the presence of vortices in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

We discuss phase retrieval and the correction of images for aberrations, in particular defocus and spherical aberration, in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Non-interferometric phase retrieval requires at least two intensity measurements in different planes. Vortices in the phase may occur in the image plane or the other planes involved in the phase retrieval. We discuss the performance of various methods of phase retrieval in that case. After retrieval of the phase, the aberrations can be corrected in the Fraunhofer diffraction space (the wave function in the diffraction space is related to that in the image space by a Fourier transform). The aberration-corrected image is obtained from the aberration-corrected wave function in the diffraction plane by inverse Fourier transformation.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Quantitative methods in phase-contrast x-ray imaging.

A new method for extracting quantitative information from phase-contrast x-ray images obtained with microfocus x-ray sources is presented. The proposed technique allows rapid noninvasive characterization of the internal structure of thick optically opaque organic samples. The method does not generally involve any sample preparation and does not need any x-ray optical elements (such as monochromators, zone plates, or interferometers). As a consequence, samples can be imaged in vivo or in vitro, and the images are free from optical aberrations. While alternative techniques of x-ray phase-contrast imaging usually require expensive synchrotron radiation sources, our method can be implemented with conventional, albeit microfocus, x-ray tubes, which greatly enhances its practicality. In the present work, we develop the theoretical framework, perform numerical simulations, and present the first experimental results, demonstrating the viability of the proposed approach. We believe that this method should find wide-ranging applications in clinical radiology and medical research.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Quantitative phase-sensitive imaging in a transmission electron microscope

This paper presents a new technique for forming quantitative phase and amplitude electron images applicable to a conventional transmission electron microscope. With magnetised cobalt microstructures used as a test object, we use electron holography to obtain an independent measurement of the phase shift. After a suitable calibration of the microscope, we obtain quantitative agreement of the phase shift imposed on the 200 keV electrons passing through the sample.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Noninterferometric quantitative phase imaging with soft x rays.

We demonstrate quantitative noninterferometric x-ray phase-amplitude measurement. We present results from two experimental geometries. The first geometry uses x rays diverging from a point source to produce high-resolution holograms of submicrometer-sized objects. The measured phase of the projected image agrees with the geometrically determined phase to within +/-7%. The second geometry uses a direct imaging microscope setup that allows the formation of a magnified image with a zone-plate lens. Here a direct measure of the object phase is made and agrees with that of the magnified object to better than +/-10%. In both cases the accuracy of the phase is limited by the pixel resolution.

Journal Article↗