X-ray phase-contrast imaging using a quasi-monochromatic all-optical inverse Compton scattering source

Guo Bo; Wu Shuanghua; Ma Yue; Liu Dexiang; Zeng Weiwang; Zhang Guangkuo; Hua Jianfei; Lu Wei

doi:10.1063/5.0281386

Volume 11 Issue 1

Jan. 2026

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Guo Bo, Wu Shuanghua, Ma Yue, Liu Dexiang, Zeng Weiwang, Zhang Guangkuo, Hua Jianfei, Lu Wei. X-ray phase-contrast imaging using a quasi-monochromatic all-optical inverse Compton scattering source[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(1): 017601. doi: 10.1063/5.0281386

Citation:

Guo Bo, Wu Shuanghua, Ma Yue, Liu Dexiang, Zeng Weiwang, Zhang Guangkuo, Hua Jianfei, Lu Wei. X-ray phase-contrast imaging using a quasi-monochromatic all-optical inverse Compton scattering source[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(1): 017601. doi: 10.1063/5.0281386

Citation:

Guo Bo, Wu Shuanghua, Ma Yue, Liu Dexiang, Zeng Weiwang, Zhang Guangkuo, Hua Jianfei, Lu Wei. X-ray phase-contrast imaging using a quasi-monochromatic all-optical inverse Compton scattering source[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(1): 017601. doi: 10.1063/5.0281386

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X-ray phase-contrast imaging using a quasi-monochromatic all-optical inverse Compton scattering source

doi: 10.1063/5.0281386

Guo Bo^1
,,
Wu Shuanghua²,
Ma Yue²,
Liu Dexiang^2
,,
Zeng Weiwang^2
,,
Zhang Guangkuo²,
Hua Jianfei^{2
,
,
,},
Lu Wei^{1, 2, 3
,
,}

1.
Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
2.
Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
3.
Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

More Information

Corresponding author: a)Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: jfhua@tsinghua.edu.cn and weilu@ihep.ac.cn
Received Date: 2025-05-19
Accepted Date: 2025-10-10

Available Online: 2026-01-01

Publish Date: 2026-01-01

Abstract

Abstract

Laser wakefield accelerators (LWFAs) offer acceleration gradients up to 1000 times higher than those of conventional radio-frequency accelerators, offering a pathway to significantly more compact and cost-effective accelerator systems. This breakthrough opens up new possibilities for laboratory-scale light sources. All-optical inverse Compton scattering (AOCS) sources driven by LWFAs produce high-brightness, quasi-monochromatic X rays with micrometer-scale source sizes, delivering the spatial coherence and resolution required for X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI). These features position AOCS X-ray sources as promising tools for applications in biology, medicine, physics, and materials science. However, previous AOCS-based imaging studies have primarily focused on X-ray absorption imaging. In this work, we report successful experimental demonstrations of edge-enhanced in-line XPCI using energy-tunable, quasi-monochromatic AOCS X rays. With a spatial resolution of ∼20 μm, our results clearly show the potential of high-resolution, AOCS-based XPCI applications.

Conflict of Interest
The authors have no conflicts to disclose.
Bo Guo: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (lead); Visualization (lead); Writing – original draft (lead); Writing – review & editing (equal). Shuanghua Wu: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Visualization (supporting); Writing – review & editing (supporting). Yue Ma: Data curation (supporting); Investigation (equal). Dexiang Liu: Data curation (supporting); Investigation (supporting). Weiwang Zeng: Formal analysis (supporting). Guangkuo Zhang: Formal analysis (supporting). Jianfei Hua: Conceptualization (equal); Funding acquisition (equal); Writing – review & editing (supporting). Wei Lu: Conceptualization (lead); Funding acquisition (lead); Writing – review & editing (supporting).
Author Contributions
J.H. and W.L. conceived the idea. B.G. and S.W. designed the experiments. B.G., S.W., Y.M., and D.L. carried out the experiments. B.G., S.W., and G.Z. contributed to the data analysis. W.Z. carried out the Monte Carlo simulations. B.G. and J.H. prepared the paper. W.L. supervised the project. All authors contributed to review of the manuscript.
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

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References(50)

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