TIME-GATED X-RAY TOMOGRAPHY

Time-gated x-ray tomography with scatter reduction is demonstrated usi ng a laser-produced plasma as an ultrashort-pulse x-ray source in comb ination with a time-resolving streak-camera detector. Backprojections of a phantom imbedded in 9 cm of water show an effective 50% increase in contrast when scattered x-ray quanta (being delayed in time) are su ppressed by gating on the prompt, nonscattered photons. Implications f or future volumetric tomography, in particular concerning possible dos e reductions, are discussed. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [ S0003-6951(98)02846-0].