Phase-contrast imaging based on a novel X-ray source, parametric X-ray radiation (PXR), has been studied at the Laboratory for Electron Beam Research and Application (LEBRA) in Nihon University. The PXR was generated by the 100 MeV electron beam incident on a Si single crystal. The quasi-monochromatic X-rays in the 5 to 34 keV range were used for the imaging experiments. The phase-contrast imaging method is appropriate for imaging of the soft tissues in biological materials, since it is effective for improving the low-contrast property in the standard absorption-contrast imaging of materials which have low X-ray absorption coefficients. Diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) method was employed as the phase contrast imaging technique. Computed tomograms for a biological organ were obtained from the DEI data taken in 90 different orientations. Particular properties of PXR, i.e. compact facility, large X-ray beam irradiation field of approximately 100 mm in diameter and quasi-monochromaticity, suggest the potential of the PXR-DEI as a tool for medical diagnoses. The phase-contrast imaging by PXR was achieved in the first time.
