Characterization of a photon counting micro computed tomography laboratory setup

The imaging capabilities of an in-house X-ray setup for micro computed tomography, consisting of a photon-counting detector and a liquid target source, are reported here. The effect of the finite X-ray source spot size on the image resolution is measured using the slanted edge method at different sample-to-detector distances, and the energy response of the detector is probed using clinically relevant contrast agents. The results show that the spatial resolution is limited to $12$ $\mu$m at large sample magnification. The energy resolution of the detector could not be estimated based on the present experiment and data analysis. The method used to measure the spatial resolution could be useful for research groups wanting to characterize similar X-ray setups.