USE OF A KUMAKHOV LENS WITH SYNCHROTRON X-RAYS TO ENHANCE MEDICAL IMAGING TECHNIQUES

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF USING KUMAKHOV LENSES TO ENHANCE THE PERFORMANCE OF MEDICAL IMAGING TECHNIQUES USING SYNCHROTRON X-RAYS. KUMAKHOV LENSES ARE BUNDLES OF FIBERS THAT CONDUCT X-RAYS THROUGH CHANNELING SIMILAR TO THE WAY FIBER OPTICS CONDUCT VISIBLE PHOTONS. X-RAYS FROM AN X-RAY TABLE AND X-RAYS FROMTHE NATIONAL SYNCHROTRON LIGHT SOURCE ARE BEING USED TO ESTABLISH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF KUMAKHOV LENSES IN THE RANGE OF PARAMETERS RELEVANT TO THE APPLICATION OF THESE LENSES IN SYNCHROTRON X-RAY MEDICAL LENSES. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE LENSES INCLUDE (1) X-RAY ENERGY FILTRATION AT THE UPPER END OF THE SPECTRUM, USING FIBER BENDING BEYOND THE CRITICAL ANGLE FOR X-RAY REFLECTIONS INSIDE THE FIBER AND (2) X-RAY BEAM RESHAPING, INCLUDING BEAM ENLARGEMENT, BEAM FOCUSSING, BEAM CROSS SECTION TRANSFORMATION, AND BEAM BUNDLING. THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO USE THE NEW TECHNOLOGY TO FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERAL MEDICAL IMAGING METHODS USING SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, INCLUDING TRANSVENOUS CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY USING K-EDGE SUBTRACTION OF IODINE OR OTHER ELEMENTS AND COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY OF THE HUMAN HEAD USING MONOCHROMATIC X-RAYS. PHASE I OF THIS PROJECT WILL DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HIGH ENERGY PHOTON FILTERING AND THE RESULTING INTENSITY DROP, EVALUATE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A BEAM THAT HAS BEEN WIDENED AND THEN RESHAPED, AND CONSTRUCT AND EXPERIMENTALLY VALIDATE A THOROUGH THEORETICAL MODEL OF LENS PERFORMANCE.