High-energy X-ray diffraction experiment employing a compact synchrotron X-ray source based on inverse Compton scattering

Johannes Melcher; Martin Dierolf; Benedikt Günther; Klaus Achterhold; Daniela Pfeiffer; Franz Pfeiffer

doi:10.1016/j.zemedi.2024.03.003

High-energy X-ray diffraction experiment employing a compact synchrotron X-ray source based on inverse Compton scattering

Z Med Phys. 2024 Apr 15:S0939-3889(24)00029-1. doi: 10.1016/j.zemedi.2024.03.003. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Johannes Melcher¹, Martin Dierolf², Benedikt Günther², Klaus Achterhold², Daniela Pfeiffer³, Franz Pfeiffer⁴

Affiliations

¹ Chair of Biomedical Physics, Physics Department, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany; Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstr. 11, 85748 Garching, Germany. Electronic address: johannes.melcher@tum.de.
² Chair of Biomedical Physics, Physics Department, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany; Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstr. 11, 85748 Garching, Germany.
³ Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, 81675 München, Germany.
⁴ Chair of Biomedical Physics, Physics Department, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany; Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstr. 11, 85748 Garching, Germany; Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, 81675 München, Germany; TUM Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstraße 2a, 85748 Garching, Germany.

PMID: 38631968
DOI: 10.1016/j.zemedi.2024.03.003

Abstract

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is an important material analysis technique with a widespread use of laboratory systems. These systems typically operate at low X-ray energies (from 5 keV to 22 keV) since they rely on the small bandwidth of K-lines like copper. The narrow bandwidth is essential for precise measurements of the crystal structure in these systems. Inverse Compton X-ray source (ICS) could pave the way to XRD at high X-ray energies in a laboratory setting since these sources provide brilliant energy-tunable and partially coherent X-rays. This study demonstrates high-energy XRD at an ICS with strongly absorbing mineralogical samples embedded in soft tissue. A quantitative comparison of the measured XRD patterns with calculations of their expected shapes validates the performance of ICSs for XRD. This analysis was performed for two types of kidney stones of different materials. Since these stones are not isolated in a human body, the influence of the surrounding soft tissue on the XRD pattern is investigated and a correction for this soft tissue contribution is introduced.

Keywords: Inverse Compton X-ray source; Kidney stone; Munich compact light source; Wide-angle X-ray scattering; X-ray diffraction.