The method of ‘X-Ray Imaging’ is prominently in use for a long period of time, largely in Medical imaging. X- Rays being high energy radiation, they have the unique proficiency to penetrate through surfaces that are opaque to visible wavelengths.
Traditionally X-Ray imaging is carried out using pixelated cameras. Each pixel measures the intensity of X-Ray beam at specific positions. More pixels are vital to capture images of high resolution and quality, which in turn requires huge amounts of data and high transfer time. This essentially creates a trade-off between spatial resolution and imaging speed which indeed restricts the system to capture high-speed events.
Researchers have now devised a high-resolution X-Ray imaging technique to attain high-speed imaging. A non-traditional imaging procedure known as Ghost imaging was used to capture non-destructive images of rapidly moving objects. Researchers demonstrated this technique, by generating an X-Ray movie of a blade rotating at 100,000 frames per second. “Medical imaging systems based on this technique could offer a new diagnostic tool for physicians, Our approach could, for example, be used to acquire high-resolution movies of the heart while greatly reducing the radiation dose for patients.” Said research team leader Sharon Shwartz from Bar-Ilan University in Israel.
Ghost imaging technique uses single-pixel detectors for imaging purpose. This method uses light from two detectors, hence it is also known as ‘two-photon imaging’. Image is usually formed by correlating two beams, in our case, X-ray beams. One of them interacts with the probe while the other acts as a reference beam. Individually the beams do not carry any information about the probe. Unlike conventional methods, this method does not capture the image of the probe directly. Instead, it reconstructs the image from the correlations between the two beams.
The reference beam required for Ghost imaging was created by standard sandpaper mounted on motorized stages. As the stage was moved to each position, the X-Ray beam struck different areas of the sandpaper creating random X-Ray transmissions (or intensity fluctuations). This random pattern was recorded using a pixelated X-Ray camera. The pixelated camera was then removed from the X-Ray beam, and the probe to be imaged along with a single-pixel detector was inserted. They then moved the motorized stages to irradiate the probe with the intensity fluctuation patterns obtained on different positions on the sandpaper. In order to capture the fast-moving blade, these measurements were synchronized with the blades movement. This new method could revolutionize medical imaging systems.
Author
