X-ray interferometers enable non-destructive testing with biomedical and materials science applications. In addition to absorption, they measure phase shifts caused by refraction to reveal the internal structure of objects such as tissues. X-ray phase contrast computed tomography (XPCT) provides 3D volumetric detail of samples. However, computed tomography requires many angles to be measured, which is a time-consuming process. To reduce the number of views, we will compare iterative reconstruction algorithms that add constraints on the smoothness of images and speed acquisition time.

There are three types of image products in X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI): absorption (or tau), differential phase (or refraction), and dark field (or microstructure scattering). The absorption image shares the same downside as conventional X-ray imaging: it suffers from low contrast in soft tissues. The differential phase image shows improved contrast in soft tissue because it measures the phase shift induced by an object. The dark field arises from small angle scattering of the sample. One approach for XPCI is to use gratings in a Talbot-Lau interferometer to produce a Talbot self-imaging effect.