摘要:
Ultralow-dose, x-ray or gamma-ray imaging is based on fast, electronic control of the output of a laser-Compton x-ray or gamma-ray source (LCXS or LCGS). X-ray or gamma-ray shadowgraphs are constructed one (or a few) pixel(s) at a time by monitoring the LCXS or LCGS beam energy required at each pixel of the object to achieve a threshold level of detectability at the detector. An example provides that once the threshold for detection is reached, an electronic or optical signal is sent to the LCXS/LCGS that enables a fast optical switch that diverts, either in space or time the laser pulses used to create Compton photons. In this way, one prevents the object from being exposed to any further Compton x-rays or gamma-rays until either the laser-Compton beam or the object are moved so that a new pixel location may be illumination.
摘要:
High-contrast, subtraction, x-ray images of an object are produced via scanned illumination by a laser-Compton x-ray source. The spectral-angle correlation of the laser-Compton scattering process and a specially designed aperture and/or detector are utilized to produce/record a narrow beam of x-rays whose spectral content consists of an on-axis region of high-energy x-rays surrounded by a region of slightly lower-energy x-rays. The end point energy of the laser-Compton source is set so that the high-energy x-ray region contains photons that are above the k-shell absorption edge (k-edge) of a specific contrast agent or specific material within the object to be imaged while the outer region consists of photons whose energy is below the k-edge of the same contrast agent or specific material. Scanning the illumination and of the object by this beam will simultaneously record and map the above edge and below k-edge absorption response of the object.