Optimization of reconstructed quality of hard x-ray phase microtomography

For applications of hard x-ray propagation-based phase-contrast computed microtomography (PPCT) in high-resolution biological research, high spatial resolution and high contrast-to-noise ratio are simultaneously required for tiny structural discrimination and characterization. Most existing micro-CT techniques to improve image quality are limited by high cost, physical limitations, and complexity of the experimental hardware and setup. In this work, a novel PPCT technique, which combines a wavelet-transform-based modulation transform function compensation algorithm and a generalized phase-retrieval algorithm, is proposed to optimize the reconstruction quality of tomographic slices. Our experimental results, which compared the spatial resolutions and contrast-to-noise ratios of reconstructed images, demonstrated the validity of the proposed generalized PPCT technique. The experimental results showed that the proposed generalized PPCT technique is superior to the direct PPCT and the linearized phase-retrieval PPCT techniques. This novel PPCT technique demonstrates great potential for biological imaging, especially for applications that require high spatial resolution and limit radiation exposure.