Edge-enhanced imaging obtained with very broad energy band x-rays

We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that edge-enhancement effects are produced when objects, in contact with the x-ray detector, are imaged by using very broad x-ray spectra. Radiographs of thin Al objects have been obtained with a table-top synchrotron source which generates x-rays in the energy range from a few kilo-electron-volts up to 6 MeV. Edge-enhancement effects arise from the combination of x-ray absorption (kilo-electron-volt part of the spectrum) and secondary particle emission (mega-electron-volt part of the spectrum) within the sample. The exact contribution of absorption and emission profiles in the edge-enhanced images has been calculated via Monte Carlo simulation.