Single-shot x-ray phase contrast imaging with an algorithmic approach using spectral detection

X-ray phase contrast imaging has been investigated during the last two decades for potential benefits in soft tissue imaging. Long imaging time, high radiation dose and general measurement complexity involving motion of x-ray optical components have prevented the clinical translation of these methods. In all existing popular phase contrast imaging methods, multiple measurements per projection angle involving motion of optical components are required to achieve quantitatively accurate estimation of absorption, phase and differential phase. Recently we proposed an algorithmic approach to use spectral detection data in a phase contrast imaging setup to obtain absorption, phase and differential phase in a single-step. Our generic approach has been shown via simulations in all three types of phase contrast imaging: propagation, coded aperture and grating interferometry. While other groups have used spectral detector in phase contrast imaging setups, our proposed method is unique in outlining an approach to use this spectral data to simplify phase contrast imaging. In this abstract we show the first experimental proof of our single-shot phase retrieval using a Medipix3 photon counting detector in an edge illumination aperture (also referred to as coded aperture) phase contrast set up as well as for a free space propagation setup. Our preliminary results validate our new transport equation for edge illumination PCI and our spectral phase retrieval algorithm for both PCI methods being investigated. Comparison with simulations also point to excellent performance of Medipix3 built-in charge sharing correction mechanism.