X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging with coded apertures for next generation baggage scanning systems

X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging (XPCi) is a novel method which was proven to enhance the visibility of all details compared to conventional, absorption-based x-ray imaging. Here we propose the application of such a methodology to baggage scanners, a field in which XPCi had not been tested before, and we demonstrate improved detail visibility on a range of samples representing difficult cases in security inspections. A working prototype system has been built, and the results obtained by imaging several test objects mimicking possible components of threat objects. Test objects were also imaged with additional absorbing layers, to show that the method can be used with cluttered environment of baggage in realistic conditions. In all cases, all details were clearly detected with high contrast and high signal-to-noise ratio. Our laboratory-based system uses a conventional X-ray source and a commercially available X-ray detector for data generation. The system can be scaled up by using larger coded apertures.