20 µm resolution multipixel ghost imaging with high-energy x-rays

Hard x-ray imaging is indispensable across diverse fields owing to its high penetrability. However, the resolution of traditional x-ray imaging modalities, such as computed tomography (CT) systems, is constrained by factors including beam properties, the limitations of optical components, and detection resolution. As a result, the typical resolution in commercial imaging systems that provide full-field imaging is limited to a few hundred microns, and scanning CT systems are too slow for many applications. This study advances high-photon-energy imaging by extending the concept of computational ghost imaging to multipixel ghost imaging with x-rays. We demonstrate a remarkable resolution of approximately 20 µm for an image spanning 0.9 by 1 cm², comprised of 400,000 pixels and involving only 1000 realizations. Furthermore, we present a high-resolution CT reconstruction using our method, revealing enhanced visibility and resolution. Our achievement is facilitated by an innovative x-ray lithography technique and the computed tiling of images captured by each detector pixel. Importantly, this method maintains reasonable timeframes and can be scaled up for larger images without sacrificing the short measurement time, thereby opening intriguing possibilities for noninvasive high-resolution imaging of small features that are invisible with the present modalities.