Use of zone plates to make X-ray microscopy more quantitative

A group led by Professor C. Chang (University of Pennsylvania, USA) has recently reported a quantitative X-ray phase imaging method that can be readily implemented on existing facilities. This technique utilizes Fresnel zone plates both as imaging optical elements for magnification and as second-order grating structures for phase-shifting interferometry. For more information, see the paper, "Quantitative x-ray differential-interference-contrast microscopy with independently adjustable bias and shear", T. Nakamura et al., Phys. Rev. A83, 043808 (2011).