This X-ray backscatter imaging device acquires depth-sensitive information from an object during a single scan of one side to generate high-resolution 2D and 3D images of the internal structure of the object. Compton scatter imaging is an imaging technique that uses photon scattering to scan an object for depth-sensitive information and create images of it based on this information. In X-ray backscatter imaging, a subset of Compton scatter imaging, the photon source and detector are on the same side, allowing the device to obtain internal images of an object even when only one side is accessible. This feature of X-ray backscatter imaging both reduces the invasiveness of imaging for medical or security purposes and broadens its application to imaging scenarios where access to more than one side of the object is not possible. However, the limitations on signal acquisition from a single side prevent the application of conventional X-ray backscatter imaging to 2D and 3D tomography, which means that available XBI systems can obtain only 2D images in a single scan.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed an X-ray backscatter imaging device that overcomes these limitations by using spectral detection, which allows the device to collect depth-sensitive information in a single, one-sided scan sufficient to generate both 2D and 3D images. This X-ray backscatter imaging device requires just one scan for each image type, decreasing scanning time and reducing the imaged object’s exposure to radiation.
X-ray backscatter imaging device that rapidly produces high-resolution 2D and 3D images for use in emergency medical situations, veterinary medicine or many industrial testing scenarios
X-ray backscatter imaging (XBI), in contrast to traditional X-ray imaging, generates an image using radiation reflected back from the object, called the backscatter pattern, rather than X-rays that pass through it. Since the backscatter pattern is dependent on the properties of the object, it contains the information required to generate an image. However, X-ray backscatter imaging typically generates only a 2D image because of limitations on signal acquisition that restrict the amount of depth-sensitive information acquirable in a single scan. This X-ray backscatter imaging device overcomes the limits on signal acquisition by using spectral detection, which involves binning the collected backscatter signal into separate energy groups to obtain depth sensitive information. This information, combined with an image reconstruction algorithm, allows the device to generate high-resolution 2D and 3D images, where at least one dimension corresponds to depth in the object.
