Recent Developments in the Use of High-Gain Optical Image Intensifiers for High-Speed Photography of Dynamic X-ray Diffraction Patterns

With advancing technology, the possibility of monitoring in real time the continuous changes in an x-ray diffraction pattern produced by dynamic events has drawn the interest of many investigators. Progress has been slow, largely because of strict limitations on available intensity and required resolution. Also, not only the apparatus but the technique of application to research must be developed in order to make the equipment compatible with rather specific scientific interests. One new system uses a very fine grained fluorescent screen to display the x-ray patterns as optical light images. Those images are transferred via standard lenses to a low noise, high gain optical image intensifier. The intensified image is then viewed from the rear of the image tube with a high-resolution vidicon and the final image displayed on a TV monitor. Time exposure photographs, commonly 12 seconds in duration, were made of the TV screen while the x-ray device scanned a 5-mm specimen. The most recent system also uses a low-noise, high-gain optical image intensifier, but the image tube is fiber optically coupled to the x-ray fluorescent screen increasing the sensitivity of the system by eliminating optical lens absorption. The theoretical resolution of this system is 35 1p/mm. Cine-recording of changing x-ray diffraction patterns during deformation has been achieved with this system.

Print ISSN

0361-4573

Published

1971-01

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/J13543