Determination of Angle of Refraction in X-Ray Phase-Contrast Imaging Using Geometric Optics Method

The accurate calculation of the angle of refraction of X-rays passing through an object is essential in X-ray phase-contrast imaging. While the wave optics-based method is commonly employed to calculate the angle of refraction, it presents several limitations. First, in cases where the object induce...

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Main Authors: Jun Yang, Fangke Zong, Haoqi Tang, Yang Du, Rongchang Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Photonics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/5/442
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author Jun Yang
Fangke Zong
Haoqi Tang
Yang Du
Rongchang Chen
author_facet Jun Yang
Fangke Zong
Haoqi Tang
Yang Du
Rongchang Chen
author_sort Jun Yang
collection DOAJ
description The accurate calculation of the angle of refraction of X-rays passing through an object is essential in X-ray phase-contrast imaging. While the wave optics-based method is commonly employed to calculate the angle of refraction, it presents several limitations. First, in cases where the object induces significant phase variations, the angle of refraction becomes divergent. Second, the method fails to adequately account for point-source illumination conditions, particularly the influence of the finite X-ray source size on the angle of refraction. In this study, we demonstrate that a geometric optics-based method can effectively simulate propagation-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging with a low-brilliance X-ray source and compute the angle of refraction more accurately than the wave optics-based method. Our studies reveal that the geometric optics-based method can robustly determine the angle of refraction, even under conditions of substantial phase variations within the object. Furthermore, we show that reducing both the X-ray source size and the detector pixel size increases the angle of refraction in both simulations and experiments. Additionally, our results highlight that the angle of refraction is not invariant. Instead, it increases with the system’s total length and as the object moves closer to the light source. For systems with a Fresnel number of N ≥ 1, our method exhibits full compatibility with wave optics methods and can be extended to grating-based X-ray interferometry. The approach offers a robust alternative for calculating the angle of refraction under diverse imaging conditions.
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spelling doaj-art-278d8f0be80446ff833d5a691d4b4bc82025-08-20T03:14:39ZengMDPI AGPhotonics2304-67322025-05-0112544210.3390/photonics12050442Determination of Angle of Refraction in X-Ray Phase-Contrast Imaging Using Geometric Optics MethodJun Yang0Fangke Zong1Haoqi Tang2Yang Du3Rongchang Chen4Institute of Advanced Light Source Facilities, Shenzhen 518107, ChinaInstitute of Advanced Light Source Facilities, Shenzhen 518107, ChinaInstitute of Advanced Light Source Facilities, Shenzhen 518107, ChinaInstitute of Advanced Light Source Facilities, Shenzhen 518107, ChinaInstitute of Advanced Light Source Facilities, Shenzhen 518107, ChinaThe accurate calculation of the angle of refraction of X-rays passing through an object is essential in X-ray phase-contrast imaging. While the wave optics-based method is commonly employed to calculate the angle of refraction, it presents several limitations. First, in cases where the object induces significant phase variations, the angle of refraction becomes divergent. Second, the method fails to adequately account for point-source illumination conditions, particularly the influence of the finite X-ray source size on the angle of refraction. In this study, we demonstrate that a geometric optics-based method can effectively simulate propagation-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging with a low-brilliance X-ray source and compute the angle of refraction more accurately than the wave optics-based method. Our studies reveal that the geometric optics-based method can robustly determine the angle of refraction, even under conditions of substantial phase variations within the object. Furthermore, we show that reducing both the X-ray source size and the detector pixel size increases the angle of refraction in both simulations and experiments. Additionally, our results highlight that the angle of refraction is not invariant. Instead, it increases with the system’s total length and as the object moves closer to the light source. For systems with a Fresnel number of N ≥ 1, our method exhibits full compatibility with wave optics methods and can be extended to grating-based X-ray interferometry. The approach offers a robust alternative for calculating the angle of refraction under diverse imaging conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/5/442X-ray phase-contrast imagingangle of refractionfocal spot size
spellingShingle Jun Yang
Fangke Zong
Haoqi Tang
Yang Du
Rongchang Chen
Determination of Angle of Refraction in X-Ray Phase-Contrast Imaging Using Geometric Optics Method
Photonics
X-ray phase-contrast imaging
angle of refraction
focal spot size
title Determination of Angle of Refraction in X-Ray Phase-Contrast Imaging Using Geometric Optics Method
title_full Determination of Angle of Refraction in X-Ray Phase-Contrast Imaging Using Geometric Optics Method
title_fullStr Determination of Angle of Refraction in X-Ray Phase-Contrast Imaging Using Geometric Optics Method
title_full_unstemmed Determination of Angle of Refraction in X-Ray Phase-Contrast Imaging Using Geometric Optics Method
title_short Determination of Angle of Refraction in X-Ray Phase-Contrast Imaging Using Geometric Optics Method
title_sort determination of angle of refraction in x ray phase contrast imaging using geometric optics method
topic X-ray phase-contrast imaging
angle of refraction
focal spot size
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/5/442
work_keys_str_mv AT junyang determinationofangleofrefractioninxrayphasecontrastimagingusinggeometricopticsmethod
AT fangkezong determinationofangleofrefractioninxrayphasecontrastimagingusinggeometricopticsmethod
AT haoqitang determinationofangleofrefractioninxrayphasecontrastimagingusinggeometricopticsmethod
AT yangdu determinationofangleofrefractioninxrayphasecontrastimagingusinggeometricopticsmethod
AT rongchangchen determinationofangleofrefractioninxrayphasecontrastimagingusinggeometricopticsmethod