Researchers in Switzerland have found a way to get better X-ray images using standard equipment in hospitals and airports. In the journal Nature Materials, researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne report a new method of manipulating conventional X-ray tubes to provide more detailed images, known as dark-field images. Dark-field imaging is able to show the scattering of radiation within the materials, and as such is able to expose details such as bone density, hairline fractures and cancer or plaque cells in soft tissue. Previously, such images required crystal optics, which only work for a single X-ray wavelength, and could only be produced at certain facilities. "Our new technique uses novel X-ray optical components, in the form of nanostructured gratings, that permit the use of a broad energy spectrum, including the standard range of energies in traditional X-ray equipment used in hospitals or airports," said PSI researcher Christian David. "This opens up the possibility for adapting current imaging equipment to include dark-field imaging."
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