PhD Defence: Torben H. Jensen

PhD Defence by Torben H. Jensen
Title: Refraction and scattering based x-ray imaging

Abstract: A number of novel x-ray imaging contrast mechanisms and their applications are presented in this thesis. This includes grating based x-ray phase-contrast tomography (PCT) of humane lymph nodes. We demonstrate how PCT can be used to identify metastic deposits in lymph nodes and thus can be used for diagnosis and staging of breast cancer. We also demonstrate food industrial applications of PCT using porcine fat. The method of directional x-ray dark-field imaging is also presented. The method provides nano- and micro-textural information and can be used to probe e.g. the orientation of fibers in a sample.
Finally high-resolution small-angle x-ray scattering computed tomography (SAXS-CT) is presented. SAXS-CT is used for imaging of molecular parameters of neuronal myelin sheaths in a brain. The parameters are important for the understanding of a number of neurodegenerative diseases. SAXS-CT is also used for imaging of both functional areas in the brain as well as brain tumor morphology.