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Photonics
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Advances in X-ray Optics for High-Resolution Imaging
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Advances in X-ray Optics for High-Resolution Imaging

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 4323

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yang Du

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Advanced Science Facilities, 268 Zhenyuan St., Guangming District, Shenzhen 518107, China
Interests: X-ray free electron laser; X-ray phase-contrast imaging; X-ray microscopy; coherent diffraction imaging; ptychography; wavefront sensing
Dr. Yaohu Lei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Yuehai Campus, 3688 Nanhai Avenue, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: X-ray phase-contrast imaging; X-ray detectors; X-ray and neutron grating technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past one hundred years, X-ray optics has made great progress and has been widely used in the fields of biology, medical diagnosis, materials science, energy, astronomy, nondestructive testing, etc. X-rays, as an effective tool and messenger, have greatly improved the level of people's understanding of nature and the universe. High-resolution X-ray imaging has long been a focus of attention and has become an indispensable tool in investigating the intricacies of the objects at the micro- and nanoscales in various fields. With the advent of new X-ray light sources, high-precision X-ray optics, high-resolution detection technologies, and advanced imaging methods, imaging resolutions are gradually improving. Advanced radiation facilities, such as those using a synchrotron radiation source and X-ray free electron laser, can be used for advanced imaging techniques like X-ray crystallography, coherent diffraction imaging, and X-ray spectroscopy, and achieve extremely high spatial resolutions down to the nanometer or even sub-nanometer scales and high temporal resolution ranging from nanoseconds to attoseconds. X-ray astronomy with high spatial/temporal/energy resolutions significantly advances the study of extreme astrophysical phenomena, which is critical to improving our understanding of the X-ray universe. Ongoing research in X-ray detector technology, including the use of advanced materials and digital sensors, continues to improve the resolution and sensitivity of X-ray imaging systems. In the future, continued research and technological progress will continue to break through the boundaries of resolution imaging capabilities.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue “Advances in X-ray Optics for High-Resolution Imaging” for the journal Photonics. This Special Issue aims to present recent advances in X-ray optics for high-resolution imaging.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Advanced high-resolution X-ray imaging;
  • X-ray optics and components;
  • Advances in detector technology;
  • Applications of X-ray high-resolution imaging;
  • Micro-computed tomography;
  • X-ray polarimetric/phase imaging;
  • X-ray microscopy/fluoroscopy/spectroscopy;
  • Synchrotron radiation and X-ray free electron laser methodology;
  • X-ray astronomy;
  • EUV/neutron imaging.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Yang Du
Dr. Yaohu Lei
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • X-ray imaging
  • X-ray optics
  • high resolution
  • detectors
  • microscopy
  • fluoroscopy
  • spectroscopy
  • ultrafast
  • X-ray astronomy
  • EUV/neutron imaging

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1342 KiB  
Article
Diffraction Losses in a Stack of Diamond X-Ray Lenses
by Nataliya Klimova and Anatoly Snigirev
Photonics 2024, 11(12), 1097; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11121097 - 21 Nov 2024
Viewed by 989
Abstract
Compound refractive lenses, crafted from single-crystal materials like diamond and silicon, are increasingly favored, particularly in cutting-edge facilities, such as free electron lasers and fourth-generation synchrotrons. These lenses are prized for their low parasitic scattering and resistance to significant radiation doses over extended [...] Read more.
Compound refractive lenses, crafted from single-crystal materials like diamond and silicon, are increasingly favored, particularly in cutting-edge facilities, such as free electron lasers and fourth-generation synchrotrons. These lenses are prized for their low parasitic scattering and resistance to significant radiation doses over extended periods. However, they do encounter a notable drawback known as the “glitch effect”, wherein undesired diffraction can occur across various X-ray energies. This phenomenon leads to a decrease in transmitted intensity, impacting experiments, particularly in spectroscopy. Typically, a series of lenses is employed to achieve optimal beam parameters, and each lens has its own spectrum of glitches. This paper presents experimentally measured glitches in stacks of 1, 4, 8, and 16 diamond compound refractive lenses, elucidating the theory behind glitch formation and offering strategies to predict and mitigate glitches in diverse focusing systems employing lenses made from single-crystal materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in X-ray Optics for High-Resolution Imaging)
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23 pages, 3250 KiB  
Article
Towards Construction of a Novel Nanometer-Resolution MeV-STEM for Imaging Thick Frozen Biological Samples
by Xi Yang, Liguo Wang, Jared Maxson, Adam Christopher Bartnik, Michael Kaemingk, Weishi Wan, Luca Cultrera, Lijun Wu, Victor Smaluk, Timur Shaftan, Sean McSweeney, Chunguang Jing, Roman Kostin and Yimei Zhu
Photonics 2024, 11(3), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11030252 - 11 Mar 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2038
Abstract
Driven by life-science applications, a mega-electron-volt Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (MeV-STEM) has been proposed here to image thick frozen biological samples as a conventional Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) may not be suitable to image samples thicker than 300–500 nm and various volume electron [...] Read more.
Driven by life-science applications, a mega-electron-volt Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (MeV-STEM) has been proposed here to image thick frozen biological samples as a conventional Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) may not be suitable to image samples thicker than 300–500 nm and various volume electron microscopy (EM) techniques either suffering from low resolution, or low speed. The high penetration of inelastic scattering signals of MeV electrons could make the MeV-STEM an appropriate microscope for biological samples as thick as 10 μm or more with a nanoscale resolution, considering the effect of electron energy, beam broadening, and low-dose limit on resolution. The best resolution is inversely related to the sample thickness and changes from 6 nm to 24 nm when the sample thickness increases from 1 μm to 10 μm. To achieve such a resolution in STEM, the imaging electrons must be focused on the specimen with a nm size and an mrad semi-convergence angle. This requires an electron beam emittance of a few picometers, which is ~1000 times smaller than the presently achieved nm emittance, in conjunction with less than 10−4 energy spread and 1 nA current. We numerically simulated two different approaches that are potentially applicable to build a compact MeV-STEM instrument: (1) DC (Direct Current) gun, aperture, superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities, and STEM column; (2) SRF gun, aperture, SRF cavities, and STEM column. Beam dynamic simulations show promising results, which meet the needs of an MeV-STEM, a few-picometer emittance, less than 10−4 energy spread, and 0.1–1 nA current from both options. Also, we designed a compact STEM column based on permanent quadrupole quintuplet, not only to demagnify the beam size from 1 μm at the source point to 2 nm at the specimen but also to provide the freedom of changing the magnifications at the specimen and a scanning system to raster the electron beam across the sample with a step size of 2 nm and the repetition rate of 1 MHz. This makes it possible to build a compact MeV-STEM and use it to study thick, large-volume samples in cell biology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in X-ray Optics for High-Resolution Imaging)
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Review

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38 pages, 10589 KiB  
Review
Research Progress of Grating-Based X-Ray Phase-Contrast Imaging and Key Devices
by Fangke Zong, Jun Yang, Jinchuan Guo, Jingjin Zhang, Yang Du and Chenggong Zhang
Photonics 2025, 12(3), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12030222 - 28 Feb 2025
Viewed by 662
Abstract
X-ray phase-contrast imaging presents a significant advancement in the field of X-ray imaging, surpassing traditional X-ray absorption imaging in detecting hydrogen substances. It effectively addresses the limitations of the latter in providing contrast for imaging weakly absorbing objects, thereby opening up vast potential [...] Read more.
X-ray phase-contrast imaging presents a significant advancement in the field of X-ray imaging, surpassing traditional X-ray absorption imaging in detecting hydrogen substances. It effectively addresses the limitations of the latter in providing contrast for imaging weakly absorbing objects, thereby opening up vast potential applications in biomedical research, materials science, and industrial inspection. This article initially explores the fundamental principles of X-ray phase-contrast imaging and several prevalent imaging techniques. Notably, imaging devices such as grating-based Talbot–Lau interferometers emerge as the most promising in phase-contrast imaging due to their exceptional compatibility and imaging quality. Furthermore, this article introduces key parameters for assessing the quality of grating phase-contrast imaging, specifically image noise and sensitivity, along with their calculation methods. These insights are valuable for optimizing grating-based phase-contrast imaging devices. Lastly, this article examines potential applications and advancements in the key components of X-ray phase-contrast imaging while addressing current challenges and future directions in its technological development. This article aims to provide insights and inspiration for scholars interested in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in X-ray Optics for High-Resolution Imaging)
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