Facility Support: High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography Laboratory

该补助金在三年内为德克萨斯大学计算机X射线断层扫描（UTCT）设施提供持续支持。 UT的CT扫描仪专门设计用于对一系列地质材料和样本大小进行X射线断层扫描。 该技术是从商业生物医学CAT扫描仪发展而来的，采用了更高能量的X射线源和更高分辨率的CCD探测器，可以对非生命地质样品进行微米级成像。 该技术允许对样品的外部和内部进行完全非破坏性成像。 由于样品密度和材料元素成分沿X射线路径沿着的变化而产生的X射线衰减差异由CCD数字化记录。 将样品安装在X射线源前面的旋转台上。 衰减x射线的径向2-d切片通过样品台的垂直平移来堆叠。 然后，通过计算机算法减少所得的X射线“正弦图”，以呈现样品内密度分布的高分辨率3-D图像。 研究应用跨越地球科学，生物学，工程学和人类学的例行支持。 UTCT扫描的数据和图像是可通过网络访问的数据，对教学非常有用。

This grant provides continued support for the University of Texas Computed X-ray Tomography (UTCT) Facility over a three year period. The CT scanner at UT was specifically designed to enable x-ray tomography of a range of geological materials and sample sizes. The technology was developed from commercial biomedical CAT scanners with the adoption of a higher energy x-ray source and higher resolution CCD detectors to allow micron-scale imaging of non-living geological samples. The technique allows for completely non-destructive imaging of the exteriors and interiors of samples. Differences in x-ray attenuation that occur due to variations in sample density and the elemental composition of the material along the x-ray path are digitally recorded by a CCD. Samples are mounted on a rotating table in front of the x-ray source. Radial 2-d slices of the attenuated x-rays are stacked by vertical translation of the sample table. Resultant x-ray "sinograms" are then reduced via computer algorithms to render high resolution 3-D images of the density distributions within samples. Research applications spanning the geosciences, biology, engineering and anthropology are routinely supported. Data and images from UTCT scans are web-accessible data and extremely useful for teaching.