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AGH University launches X-ray source with synchrotron-like intensity

Interior of a laboratory with X-ray analysis equipment. Banners for WFiIS AGH and IDUB can be seen standing nearby.

Photograph: AGH University

AGH University launches X-ray source with synchrotron-like intensity
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The newly opened Laboratory of Advanced X-Ray Techniques at the Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science offers access to an X-ray beam with parameters comparable to those found at synchrotron facilities. The new infrastructure will enable advanced research in the fields of materials engineering, biomedicine, chemistry, and pharmacy.

X-ray techniques are most commonly associated with medicine, where X-rays and CT scans are used to visualise medical conditions and injuries. This is possible because different tissues absorb X-rays in different ways, thereby producing a unique image during examination.

However, the range of techniques using X-rays extends far beyond typical medical applications, enabling researchers to examine the structure of a number of materials in addition to biological tissues and even to determine their chemical composition with precision.

Many of these methods require the use of high-intensity radiation beams that a standard X-ray tube would be unable to generate.

Such intense beams of radiation can be produced in synchrotrons, i.e. gigantic ring-shaped machines with circumferences measuring tens of metres. There, electrons are accelerated to speeds close to that of light. When their path is forced to curve, radiation is emitted, which can be used for research purposes.

Techniques previously unavailable in Poland

Although Krakow is home to the SOLARIS synchrotron, located at the Jagiellonian University, its beamlines do not fully cover the scope of X-ray research. Until now, researchers from Poland wishing to use certain techniques have had to apply for permission to carry out their work in France, Germany, or Austria.

This may change due to the infrastructure that has been made available at AGH University. The newly opened Laboratory of Advanced X-Ray Techniques not only offers opportunities for X-ray research that were previously unavailable in Poland, but is also compact in size compared to synchrotrons, as it fits into a single 36 m² room at the Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science. It comprises a multifunctional X-ray source, a system of eight one- and two-dimensional detectors, and computer equipment that controls the entire system.

The necessary infrastructure was purchased by a consortium of three faculties: the Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, the Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, and the Faculty of Energy and Fuels. The funding was provided under the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” (IDUB) programme.

The system was built by the Canadian company Proto Manufacturing Ltd. on the basis of specifications provided by AGH University, which makes it unique on a global scale. At its heart lies the state-of-the-art MetalJet X-ray tube from Excillum, which features a liquid-metal anode, setting it apart from solid or rotating anodes used in conventional X-ray machines and CT scanners.

Photographs: AGH University

A state-of-the-art X-ray machine with a control panel and a monitor showing the interior of the measurement chamber.
X-ray equipment with an examination chamber and a control screen displaying an image of the sample.

Unique X-ray tube and optical systems

In X-ray tubes, X-rays are generated as a stream of electrons flows between the cathode and the anode, when the latter is ‘bombarded’ by accelerated electrons. During this process, the anode becomes very hot and, therefore, requires effective cooling; if the particle flux is too high, it may overheat.

In MetalJet tubes, the anode is made of liquid metal that is continuously renewed, thereby dissipating heat more efficiently. As a result, the AGH University laboratory is able to produce an X-ray beam with parameters comparable to those of synchrotron sources.

The equipment provides access to a beam with a maximum energy of 160 keV, whilst also offering access to two lines with characteristic energies of 9.2 keV and 24 keV. Thus, it can examine materials that are difficult to penetrate, as well as those that require specific beam parameters.

In this respect, the AGH University’s equipment surpasses the capabilities of the POLYX beamline at the SOLARIS synchrotron, which offers an X-ray beam with an energy of 15 keV. At the same time, due to the implementation of advanced optical systems, it rivals synchrotron sources in terms of beam intensity and focus, which has an impact on the speed and accuracy of research.

High-resolution X-ray tomography of the human heart and three-dimensional reconstruction of the coronary vasculature.

Two images of the human heart produced using X-ray tomography: on the left, a three-dimensional view of the heart; on the right, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the coronary vessels against a black background.

Revealing standard X-ray and CT imaging

The newly opened laboratory enables the use of a wide range of advanced research techniques, such as:

  • diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) – combines computed tomography with diffraction contrast, which enables the location and spatial orientation of crystal grains in crystalline materials based on how they diffract X-rays
  • X-ray fluorescence tomography (XRF tomography) – enables precise analysis of the three-dimensional spatial distribution of elements based on the characteristics of their fluorescence spectrum following excitation by X-rays
  • energy-dispersive diffraction (EDD) – like DCT, it is based on the diffraction of X-rays in crystals; however, it is not the diffraction patterns that are analysed, but the energy of the scattered rays; it is particularly useful for studying dynamic processes, such as materials under stress
  • phase-contrast X-ray tomography – a technique combining computed tomography with phase contrast; in addition to the absorption of X-rays by the material structure, it analyses the way in which the absorption affects the phase shift of the X-ray waves; this enables the imaging of structures that absorb X-rays poorly, such as biological tissues
  • single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) – like DCT, it is based on the phenomenon of X-ray diffraction; however, it is used not to study the structure of crystalline materials but the arrangement of atoms in single crystals.

The entire system is based on a modular design, which allows individual components, such as detectors, optics, or sample-holding systems, to be replaced and calibrated according to specific research objectives. The spacious sample compartment also allows for the installation of various accessories, such as a temperature chamber or strength testing modules, enabling materials to be tested for their temperature stability or resistance to compression and tension.

As the MetalJet tube can generate two X-ray beams in opposite directions simultaneously, it will be possible to run two independent beamlines using the apparatus.

Improving the chances of securing European grants

Research activities in the laboratory will be organised following practices similar to those used in large research centres. Researchers who wish to take advantage of the infrastructure should submit an application that outlines their research objectives. Applications will be assessed by a Scientific Council comprising academic staff from the units that make up the consortium responsible for managing the equipment. Depending on the outcome of the assessment, the applicants will be allocated a specific measurement time.

“Applying for major European research grants requires access to the necessary research equipment. The fact that AGH University now has its own X-ray source with capabilities comparable to those of Europe’s leading research centres will provide access to state-of-the-art research techniques that have been unavailable in Poland to date, which will undoubtedly make it easier to apply for ambitious projects. It is also worth noting that research results obtained using large-scale research facilities and innovative techniques have significantly greater publication potential,” explains the initiator of the new laboratory, Dr Sebastian Wroński, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science.

AGH University’s expertise in micro- and nano-imaging

The Laboratory of Advanced X-Ray Techniques expands the capabilities of the Micro- and Nanotomography Laboratory, which has been operating at the Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science since 2012, run by Professor Wroński in collaboration with Dr Jacek Tarasiuk, Associate Professor at the AGH University of Krakow. Among the achievements of the Micro- and Nanotomography Laboratory is a discovery made in 2018, when, during research conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences, a fragment of a flint arrowhead was identified in a mammoth bone found in Krakow. This has proven that hunting took place in these areas as early as 27,000 years ago, which is 2,000 years earlier than previously thought.

The laboratory also conducts a wide range of other materials research in collaboration with national and international centres. Among other things, it examines the ossicles and heart valves for the purposes of implantology.

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