Effective Resolution of Phase-contrast Images in X-ray Microscopy

Abstract

A simple model for the spatial resolution of phase-contrast images obtained by X-ray microscopy is proposed. In principle, the model is based on Fresnel s diffraction of a point phase object and applied to interpret the X-ray microscopic images of an ant and a bee taken under different experimental conditions. The source sizes of the X-rays were estimated by Monte Carlo calculation. Using the sizes of the X-ray sources, the spatial resolutions of the phase-contrast images were also estimated according to the proposed model. The results indicate that the present simple model has expressed the high spatial resolution achieved by X-ray microscopy with considerable success, shedding a closer insight into a new world of phase-contrast X-ray microscopy.