Element differentiation with a Hartmann based X-ray phase imaging system

Significant efforts are currently ongoing in X-ray imaging to provide multimodal imaging systems, targeting better sensitivity and specificity for both biomedical or non-destructive testing (NDT) applications. For example, in mammography, knowing the elemental composition of breast microcalcifications would help to differentiate malign and benign tumours. Standard X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging (XPCI) techniques provide only qualitative information of elements with similar absorption. However, their chemical composition can be determined from the measurement of the phase as it is directly related to the optical index of elemental materials. We will show new experimental results obtained with a novel X-ray phase imaging system based on a Hartmann mask. The system demonstrates capacity to discriminate and quantify the elemental composition. Early data treatment succeeded to retrieve both the real and imaginary parts of the index of refraction.