A research team at the University of Göttingen has developed a new method to produce X-ray images in colour. In the past, the only way to determine the chemical composition of a sample and the position of its components using X-ray fluorescence analysis was to focus the X-rays and scan the whole sample. This is time-consuming and expensive. Scientists led by MBExC member Tim Salditt have now developed an approach that allows an image of a large area to be produced from a single exposure, without the need for focusing and scanning. The method was published in the journal Optica.
Artistic representation showing how an image is created using the newly developed method. Two colours – green and magenta – are emitted by fluorescing atoms in the sample (left) due to X-Ray excitation. The grey round object represents an optic casting a shadow on the detector. The algorithm then produces an actual image with two colours – the intensity of which represents the density of the fluorescing atoms within the sample. Photo: Markus Osterhoff
