X-ray phase-contrast medical micro-imaging methods

Claim 3

The method for utilizing x-ray mirrors for the focusing of laser-produced x-rays that emanate from the x-ray spatial line-source of claim 1 to produce an x-ray slicebeam or x-ray fanbeam having a highly elongated rectangular wavefront profile, that is microscopically-thin in only one direction in the plane of the object, perpendicular to the optical axis; where, in the planes of the object, perpendicular to the microscopically-thin width direction, the elongated x-ray wavefront profile is at least seven centimeters long; the microscopic x-ray wavefront cross-sectional width dimension is specified as vertically-directed in the plane of the object and the wavefront cross-sectional length is specified as horizontally-directed in the plane of the object; where, located between the source and the object, are one or two successive Bragg- diffractive x-ray mirror optics, x-ray reflective devices aligned within the optical axis that are designed for focusing 15 KeV to 100 KeV hard x-rays when the Bragg condition is satisfied; where the long-axis of the x-ray line-source is parallel to the planes of diffraction of the x-ray mirrors; whereby a solid angle of the semicylindical wavefront that emanates from the x-ray line-source is intercepted by x-ray mirrors to produce a microscopically-thin and high brightness x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam, collimated in the direction away from the optical axis to less than 100 microradians; the long-axis of the x-ray line-source is parallel to the long axis of the highly elongated rectangular wavefront of the x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam, by virtue of both entities being mutually parallel to the Bragg diffracting planes of the x-ray mirrors; using x-ray mirrors for the spectral conditioning of a broad spectrum of plasma- produced x-rays in order to create an x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam that is in the 15 KeV-to-100 KeV energy range and that is either nearly monochromatic or quasi-monochromatic having a 10 percent or less spread in energy bandwidth for 95 percent or more of the x-ray photons diffracted.

Claim 6

The method of claim 3 for non-invasively creating an in vivo phase-contrast x-ray image of a human subject, in the form of clinical radiography; of subject illumination by slot-scanning techniques, utilizing a microscopically-thin x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam to yield phase-contrast x-ray images; for the non-invasive delineation of refraction-inducing microscopic soft-tissue architecture.

Claim 7

The method of claim 3 for in vivo phase-contrast x-ray imaging for the detection of malignancies in a human subject, wherein said malignant microscopic structures are 50 microns or less in size; creating an in vivo phase-contrast x-ray image for the early detection of cancer in living persons, non-invasively and without the use of a biopsied specimen; for the detection of very small metastasis that are smaller than three millimeters across, invasive tumor margins and tumor-associated microcalcifications.

Claim 8

The method of claim 3 for the non-destructive phase-contrast x-ray imaging of the interiors of carbon-based industrial materials, utilizing an x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam that has only one microscopic dimension in the planes of the object; high throughput phase-contrast x-ray imaging for purposes of monitoring fluidic turbulence within pipelines and for assessing the turbulence within plasmas and jets.

Claim 9

The method of claim 3 for in vivo phase-contrast computed tomographic x-ray imaging of the interior of a human subject, with microscopic resolution, utilizing an x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam beam that has only one cmicroscopic dimension in the planes of the object.

Claim 10

The methods described in claim 2 for producing an in vivo x-ray absorption image of the interior of an intact object, that is primarily composed of carbon-based molecules, but not limited to such composition, utilizing monochromatic x-rays, or quasimonochromatic x-rays, in the energy range of 15 KeV-to-100 KeV; for object illumination purposes, that utilizes a microscopically-thin laser-produced plasma x-ray line-source, that has only one microscopic dimension in the plane of the target; that utilizes x-ray mirrors to produce a collimated x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam, that is microscopically-thin in only one direction in the planes of the object.

Claim 11

The method of claim 8 for the non-destructive testing by x- ray absorption imaging techniques of low atomic number carbon-based industrial materials that can be greater than three millimeters in thickness; utilizing a microscopically-thin x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam for the high throughput, non-destructive x-ray absorption imaging of industrial materials, with microscopic resolution.

Claim 12

The method of claim 8 for in vivo clinical x-ray absorption radiography, of a human subject, that is capable of microscopic resolution and rejects Compton scattered x-rays; subject illumination by slot-scanning that utilizes an x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam, that is microscopically-thin in only one direction in the planes of the object.

Claim 13

The method of claim 8 for computed tomographic x-ray absorption imaging that utilizes a microscopically-thin x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam for object illumination, being clinically capable of microscopic resolution with a human subject, that rejects Compton scattered x-rays.

Claim 14

The method of claim 2 further using an x-ray transmissive Bragg- diffractive Laue focusing-optic to diffract the x-ray beam laterally, in the horizontal direction, in order to produce an x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam having a wavefront that is at least seven centimeters long in the object plane, while still maintaining a microscopic beam thickness.

Claim 15

The method of claim 2 where an x-ray fanbeam or x-ray slicebeam is discontinuous in the plane of the object, when x-ray transmissive focusing devices, that are either a polymicrocapillary lens or a microchannel plate are used to focus the x-ray beam laterally, in the horizontal direction, to at least seven centimeters long in the object plane, while still maintaining a microscopic beam thickness; providing that the non-illuminated areas of discontinuity are no more than three percent of the illuminated area in the plane of the object and also that the centers of the equally-spaced microscopic x-ray illuminated areas reside on a single line.