arXiv subjects

David M. Paganin

Publications and source records attributed to David M. Paganin.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Applying the Fokker--Planck equation to grating-based x-ray phase and dark-field imaging

X-ray imaging has conventionally relied upon attenuation to provide contrast. In recent years, two complementary modalities have been added; phase contrast and dark-field x-ray imaging, capturing weakly attenuating and sub-pixel sample structures respectively. These three modalities can be accessed using a crystal analyser, a grating interferometer or by looking at a directly-resolved grid, grating or speckle pattern. Grating and grid-based methods extract a differential phase signal by measuring how far a feature in the illumination has been shifted transversely due to the presence of a sample. The dark-field signal is extracted by measuring how the visibility of the structured illumination is decreased, typically due to the presence of sub-pixel structures in a sample. The strength of the dark-field signal may depend on the grating period, the pixel size and the set-up distances, and additional dark-field signal contributions may be seen as a result of strong phase effects or other factors. In this paper we show that the finite-difference form of the Fokker--Planck Equation can be applied to describe the drift (phase signal) and diffusion (dark-field signal) of the periodic or structured illumination used in phase contrast x-ray imaging with gratings, in order to better understand any cross-talk between attenuation, phase and dark-field x-ray signals. In future work, this mathematical description could be used as a basis for new approaches to the inverse problem of recovering both phase and dark-field information.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Spatial resolution, noise and information in the computational-imaging era

Imaging is an important means by which information is gathered regarding the physical world. Spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio are underpinning concepts. There is a paucity of rigorous definitions for these quantities, which are general enough to be useful in a broad range of imaging problems, while being also sufficiently specific to enable precise quantitative evaluation of the relevant properties of imaging systems. This is particularly true for many modern forms of imaging that include digital processing of the acquired imaging data as an integral step leading to final images presented to an end-user. Here, both the well-known historical definitions of spatial resolution and some more recent approaches suitable for many forms of modern computational imaging are discussed. An intrinsic duality of spatial resolution and signal-to-noise exists in almost all types of imaging, with the related uncertainty relationship determining a trade-off between the two quantities. Examples are presented with applications to super-resolution imaging, inline holography and ghost imaging.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

One mask to rule them all: Writing arbitrary distributions of radiant exposure by scanning a single illuminated spatially-random screen

Arbitrary distributions of radiant exposure may be written by transversely scanning a single known spatially-random screen that is normally illuminated by spatially but not necessarily temporally uniform radiation or matter wave fields. The arbitrariness, of the written pattern of radiant exposure, holds up to both (i) a spatial resolution that is dictated by the characteristic transverse length scale of the illuminated spatially random screen, and (ii) a background term that grows linearly with the number of random-illumination patterns. Two classes of the method are developed. The former assumes the distance between the illuminated random mask and the target plane to be sufficiently small that the effects of diffraction may be neglected. The latter accounts for the effects of Fresnel diffraction in the regime of large Fresnel number. Numerical simulations are provided for both variants of the method. Contrast and signal-to-noise ratio are also considered. The method may be parallelized, and is suited to both magnifying and de-magnifying geometries. Possible applications include spatial light modulators and intensity projectors for those matter and radiation wave fields for which such devices do not exist, printing or micro-fabrication in both two and three spatial dimensions, and lithography.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

X-ray Fokker--Planck equation for paraxial imaging

The Fokker--Planck Equation can be used in a partially-coherent imaging context to model the evolution of the intensity of a paraxial x-ray wave field with propagation. This forms a natural generalisation of the transport-of-intensity equation. The x-ray Fokker--Planck equation can simultaneously account for both propagation-based phase contrast, and the diffusive effects of sample-induced small-angle x-ray scattering, when forming an x-ray image of a thin sample. Two derivations are given for the Fokker--Planck equation associated with x-ray imaging, together with a Kramers--Moyal generalisation thereof. Both equations are underpinned by the concept of unresolved speckle due to unresolved sample micro-structure. These equations may be applied to the forward problem of modelling image formation in the presence of both coherent and diffusive energy transport. They may also be used to formulate associated inverse problems of retrieving the phase shifts due to a sample placed in an x-ray beam, together with the diffusive properties of the sample. The domain of applicability for the Fokker--Planck and Kramers--Moyal equations for paraxial imaging is at least as broad as that of the transport-of-intensity equation which they generalise, hence the technique is also expected to be useful for paraxial imaging using visible light, electrons and neutrons.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Speckled cross-spectral densities and their associated correlation singularities for a modern source of partially coherent x rays

We consider a realistic model for calculating the cross-spectral density of partially coherent beams from an x-ray undulator in a modern storage ring. This two-point coherence function is seen to have a speckled structure associated with the presence of x-ray coherence vortices and domain walls. Such cross-spectral density speckle is associated with a network of spatial pairs of points for which there is zero correlation. X-ray coherence vortices and domain walls are seen to emerge naturally as the number of coherent modes required increases. An understanding of the existence and nature of such correlation singularities enhances our ability to exploit partially coherent x-ray radiation from new or upgraded synchrotron sources, for both imaging and diffraction applications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Noise-resolution uncertainty principle in classical and quantum systems

It is proved that the width of a function and the width of the distribution of its values cannot be made arbitrarily small simultaneously. In the case of ergodic stochastic processes, an ensuing uncertainty relationship is demonstrated for the product of correlation length and variance. A closely related uncertainty principle is also established for the average degree of fourth-order coherence and the spatial width of modes of bosonic quantum fields. However, it is shown that, in the case of stochastic and quantum observables, certain non-classical states with sub-Poissonian statistics, such as for example photon number squeezed states in quantum optics, can overcome the "classical" noise-resolution uncertainty limit. The described uncertainty relationship, which is fundamentally different from the Heisenberg and related uncertainty principles, can define an upper limit for the information capacity of communication and imaging systems. It is expected to be useful in a variety of problems in classical and quantum physics.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2019

Phase-sensitive x-ray ghost imaging

Imaging with hard x-rays is an invaluable tool in medicine, biology, materials science, and cultural heritage. Propagation-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging and tomography have been mostly used to resolve micrometer-scale structures inside weakly absorbing objects as well as inside dense specimens. Indirect x-ray detection has been the key technology to achieve up to sub-micrometer spatial resolutions, albeit inefficiently and hence at the expense of increased radiation dose to the specimen. A promising approach to low-dose imaging and high spatial resolution even at high x-ray energies is ghost imaging, which could use single-pixel, yet efficient direct x-ray detectors made of high-density materials. However, phase contrast has not yet been realised with x-ray ghost imaging. We present an approach which exploits both the advantages of x-ray ghost imaging and the high sensitivity of phase-contrast imaging. In comparison with existing techniques, our method is efficient and achieves high-fidelity x-ray ghost images with phase contrast, accurate density resolution and dramatically higher spatial resolution. The method is scalable to practical tomography with large fields of view, micrometer spatial resolution, and with high-energy x-rays above 100 keV. It is also applicable to other phase-sensitive imaging techniques and with other probes such as neutrons, alpha rays, and muons, for which high spatial resolution detectors are limited or even not available.

eess.IV↗

arXiv2019

Tutorials on X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging: Some Fundamentals and Some Conjectures on Future Developments

These tutorials introduce some basics of imaging with coherent X-rays, focusing on phase contrast. We consider the transport-of-intensity equation, as one particular method for X-ray phase contrast imaging among many, before passing on to the inverse problem of phase retrieval. These ideas are applied to two-dimensional and three-dimensional propagation-based phase-contrast imaging using coherent X-rays. We then consider the role of partial coherence, and sketch a generic means by which partially coherent X-ray imaging scenarios may be modelled, using the space-frequency description of partial coherence. Besides covering fundamental concepts in both theory and practice, we also give opinions on future trends in X-ray phase contrast imaging including X-ray tomography, and comparison of different phase contrast imaging methods. These tutorials will be accessible to those with a basic background in optics (e.g. wave equation, Maxwell equations, Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction, and the basics of Fourier and vector analysis) and interactions of X-rays with matter (e.g. attenuation mechanisms and complex refractive index).

eess.IV↗

arXiv2018

A simple, pixel-wise response correction for ring artifact removal in both absorption and phase contrast X-ray computed tomography

We present a pixel-specific, measurement-driven correction that effectively minimizes errors in detector response that give rise to the ring artifacts commonly seen in X-ray computed tomography (CT) scans. This correction is easy to implement, suppresses CT artifacts significantly, and is effective enough for use with both absorption and phase contrast imaging. It can be used as a standalone correction or in conjunction with existing ring artifact removal algorithms to further improve image quality. We validate this method using two X-ray CT data sets, showing post-correction signal-to-noise increases of up to 55%, and we define an image quality metric to use specifically for the assessment of ring artifact suppression.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Single-Image Geometric-Flow X-Ray Speckle Tracking

We develop a speckle-tracking method for x-ray phase-contrast imaging, based on the concept of geometric flow. This flow is a conserved current associated with deformation of illuminating x-ray speckles induced by passage through a sample. The method provides a rapid, efficient, and accurate algorithm for quantitative phase imaging. It is highly photon efficient and able to image dynamic objects, since a single radiograph of the sample is sufficient for the phase recovery. We experimentally quantify the resolution and contrast of the approach with both two-dimensional and three-dimensional phase-imaging applications using x-ray synchrotron radiation. Finally, we discuss adaptations of the method to imaging with compact x-ray sources that have a large source size and significant spectral bandwidth.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2018

Determinantal polynomial wave functions induced by random matrices

Random-matrix eigenvalues have a well-known interpretation as a gas of like-charge particles. We make use of this to introduce a model of vortex dynamics by defining a time-dependent wave function as the characteristic polynomial of a random matrix with a parameterized deformation, the zeros of which form a gas of interacting vortices in the phase. By the introduction of a quaternionic structure, these systems are generalized to include anti-vortices and non-vortical topological defects: phase maxima, phase minima and phase saddles. The commutative group structure for complexes of such defects generates a hierarchy, which undergo topologically-allowed reactions. Several special cases, including defect-line bubbles and knots, are discussed from both an analytical and computational perspective. Finally, we return to the quaternion structures to provide an interpretation of two-vortex fundamental processes as states in a quaternionic space, where annihilation corresponds to scattering out of real space, and identify a time--energy uncertainty principle.

math-ph↗

arXiv2018

Aberrated dark-field imaging systems

We study generalized dark-field imaging systems. These are a subset of linear shift-invariant optical imaging systems, that exhibit arbitrary aberrations, and for which normally-incident plane-wave input yields zero output. We write down the theory for the forward problem of imaging coherent scalar optical fields using such arbitrarily-aberrated dark-field systems, and give numerical examples. The associated images may be viewed as a form of dark-field Gabor holography, utilizing arbitrary outgoing Green functions as generalized Huygens-type wavelets, and with the Young-type boundary wave forming the holographic reference.

eess.IV↗

arXiv2018

Deterministic X-ray Bragg coherent diffraction imaging as a seed for subsequent iterative reconstruction

Coherent diffractive imaging (CDI), using both X-rays and electrons, has made extremely rapid progress over the past two decades. The associated reconstruction algorithms are typically iterative, and seeded with a crude first estimate. A deterministic method for Bragg Coherent Diffraction Imaging (Pavlov et al., Sci. Rep. 7, 1132 (2017)) is used as a more refined starting point for a shrink-wrap iterative reconstruction procedure. The appropriate comparison with the autocorrelation function as a starting point is performed. Real-space and Fourier-space error metrics are used to analyse the convergence of the reconstruction procedure for noisy and noise-free simulated data. Our results suggest that the use of deterministic-CDI reconstructions, as a seed for subsequent iterative-CDI refinement, may boost the speed and degree of convergence compared to the cruder seeds that are currently commonly used. We also highlight the utility of monitoring multiple error metrics in the context of iterative refinement.

eess.IV↗

arXiv2018

Ghost Tomography

Ghost tomography using single-pixel detection extends the emerging field of ghost imaging to three dimensions, with the use of penetrating radiation. In this work, a series of spatially random x-ray intensity patterns is used to illuminate a specimen in various tomographic angular orientations with only the total transmitted intensity being recorded by a single-pixel camera (or bucket detector). The set of zero-dimensional intensity readings, combined with knowledge of the corresponding two-dimensional illuminating patterns and specimen orientations, is sufficient for three-dimensional reconstruction of the specimen. The experimental demonstration of ghost tomography is presented here using synchrotron hard x-rays. This result expands the scope of ghost imaging to encompass volumetric imaging (i.e., tomography), of optically opaque objects using penetrating radiation. For hard x-rays, ghost tomography has the potential to decouple image quality from dose rate as well as image resolution from detector performance.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

On Random-Matrix Bases, Ghost Imaging and X-ray Phase Contrast Computational Ghost Imaging

A theory of random-matrix bases is presented, including expressions for orthogonality, completeness and the random-matrix synthesis of arbitrary matrices. This is applied to ghost imaging as the realization of a random-basis reconstruction, including an expression for the resulting signal-to-noise ratio. Analysis of conventional direct imaging and ghost imaging leads to a criterion which, when satisfied, implies reduced dose for computational ghost imaging. We also propose an experiment for x-ray phase contrast computational ghost imaging, which enables differential phase contrast to be achieved in an x-ray ghost imaging context. We give a numerically robust solution to the associated inverse problem of decoding differential phase contrast x-ray ghost images, to yield a quantitative map of the projected thickness of the sample.

eess.IV↗

arXiv2018

X-ray ghost tomography: denoising, dose fractionation and mask considerations

Ghost imaging has recently been successfully achieved in the X-ray regime; due to the penetrating power of X-rays this immediately opens up the possibility of X-ray ghost tomography. No research into this topic currently exists in the literature. Here we present adaptations of conventional tomography techniques to this new ghost imaging scheme. Several numerical implementations for tomography through X-ray ghost imaging are considered. Specific attention is paid to schemes for denoising of the resulting tomographic reconstruction, issues related to dose fractionation, and considerations regarding the ensemble of illuminating masks used for ghost imaging. Each theme is explored through a series of numerical simulations, and several suggestions offered for practical realisations of X-ray ghost tomography.

eess.IV↗

arXiv2018

Phase-and-amplitude recovery from a single phase contrast image using partially spatially coherent X-ray radiation

A simple method of phase-and-amplitude extraction is derived that corrects for image blurring induced by partially spatially coherent incident illumination using only a single intensity image as input. The method is based on Fresnel diffraction theory for the case of high Fresnel number, merged with the space-frequency description formalism used to quantify partially coherent fields and assumes the object under study is composed of a single material. A priori knowledge of the object's complex refractive index and information obtained by characterizing the spatial coherence of the source is required. The algorithm was applied to propagation-based phase contrast data measured with a laboratory-based micro-focus X-ray source. The blurring due to the finite spatial extent of the source is embedded within the algorithm as a simple correction term to the so-called Paganin algorithm and is also numerically stable in the presence of noise.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2018

Motion of vortices in inhomogeneous Bose-Einstein condensates

We derive a general and exact equation of motion for a quantised vortex in an inhomogeneous two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate. This equation expresses the velocity of a vortex as a sum of local ambient density and phase gradients in the vicinity of the vortex. We perform Gross-Pitaevskii simulations of single vortex dynamics in both harmonic and hard-walled disk-shaped traps, and find excellent agreement in both cases with our analytical prediction. The simulations reveal that, in a harmonic trap, the main contribution to the vortex velocity is an induced ambient phase gradient, a finding that contradicts the commonly quoted result that the local density gradient is the only relevant effect in this scenario. We use our analytical vortex velocity formula to derive a point-vortex model that accounts for both density and phase contributions to the vortex velocity, suitable for use in inhomogeneous condensates. Although good agreement is obtained between Gross-Pitaevskii and point-vortex simulations for specific few-vortex configurations, the effects of nonuniform condensate density are in general highly nontrivial, and are thus difficult to efficiently and accurately model using a simplified point-vortex description.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗