Dark-Field Hard-X-ray Microscope

描述（由申请人提供）：这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目将开发一种硬x射线显微镜，能够产生暗场图像，用于检测胶体金颗粒。金胶体颗粒被用作抗原、细胞和蛋白质结构研究中的标记物。在之前的研究中，Adelphi Technology Inc.已经开发出用于x射线显微镜的复合折射透镜，用于在亮场模式下对生物材料进行成像。通过改进现有的显微镜，将开发出一种原型的暗场显微镜。原型成像系统成功开发的可能性非常高，因为其他研究人员先前使用同步加速器源的工作已经证明能够在非常薄的样品中检测到20纳米大小的金颗粒。使用较硬的x射线有望在较厚的标本中检测到较小尺寸的颗粒，并有可能使用断层扫描进行体积分析。用传统的x射线管代替同步加速器作为x射线源，允许在国家实验室以外的商业和科学用途。第一阶段要探讨的问题包括：x射线源强度的充分性、对标本的剂量、期望的对比度和分辨率。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Small Business Innovation Research Phase 1 project will develop a hard-x-ray microscope capable of producing dark-field images for the detection of colloidal gold particles. Gold colloidal particles are used as labels in the study of antigens and cell and protein structure. In prior research, Adelphi Technology Inc. has developed compound refractive lenses for use in an x-ray microscope that has been used to image biological material in the bright-field mode. A prototype dark-field microscope will be developed by modifying this existing microscope. The potential for successful development of the prototype imaging system is very high because prior work by other researchers using synchrotron sources that have demonstrated the ability to detect gold particle sizes down to 20 nm in very thin specimens. The use of harder x-rays promises detection of smaller size particles inside thicker specimens and the possibility of the use of tomography for volume analysis. Replacing the synchrotron with a conventional x-ray tube as the x-ray source permits commercial and scientific use outside national laboratories. Issues to be explored in Phase I include: adequacy of x-ray source intensity, dose to specimen, expected contrast, and resolution.