Alternative method for differential phase-contrast imaging with weakly coherent hard x rays

Hard x-ray phase-contrast imaging provides high sensitivity to weakly absorbing low-Z objects in medicine, biology, and materials science. Here, we describe a feasible method to obtain differential phase-contrast images directly with incoherent x-ray sources, avoiding the Talbot effect, which requires coherent x rays. This method was validated experimentally on material and biological samples, and the results prove that differential phase-contrast imaging can be realized under more relaxed conditions. It also demonstrates the feasibility of phase-contrast imaging with conventional x-ray tubes, and should benefit clinical diagnoses, biological examinations, and material inspections in the near future.