X-ray Dark-Field Imaging for Improved Contrast in Historical Handwritten Literature
If ancient documents are too fragile to be opened, X-ray imaging can be used to recover the content non-destructively. As an extension to conventional attenuation imaging, dark-field imaging provides access to microscopic structural object information, which can be especially advantageous for materi...
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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Series: | Journal of Imaging |
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Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/8/9/226 |
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author | Bernhard Akstaller Stephan Schreiner Lisa Dietrich Constantin Rauch Max Schuster Veronika Ludwig Christina Hofmann-Randall Thilo Michel Gisela Anton Stefan Funk |
author_facet | Bernhard Akstaller Stephan Schreiner Lisa Dietrich Constantin Rauch Max Schuster Veronika Ludwig Christina Hofmann-Randall Thilo Michel Gisela Anton Stefan Funk |
author_sort | Bernhard Akstaller |
collection | DOAJ |
description | If ancient documents are too fragile to be opened, X-ray imaging can be used to recover the content non-destructively. As an extension to conventional attenuation imaging, dark-field imaging provides access to microscopic structural object information, which can be especially advantageous for materials with weak attenuation contrast, such as certain metal-free inks in paper. With cotton paper and different self-made inks based on authentic recipes, we produced test samples for attenuation and dark-field imaging at a metal-jet X-ray source. The resulting images show letters written in metal-free ink that were recovered via grating-based dark-field imaging. Without the need for synchrotron-like beam quality, these results set the ground for a mobile dark-field imaging setup that could be brought to a library for document scanning, avoiding long transport routes for valuable historic documents. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:34:24Z |
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id | doaj.art-b3f9240e17414319b21d74a1d03edd63 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2313-433X |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:34:24Z |
publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
publisher | MDPI AG |
record_format | Article |
series | Journal of Imaging |
spelling | doaj.art-b3f9240e17414319b21d74a1d03edd632023-11-23T17:04:22ZengMDPI AGJournal of Imaging2313-433X2022-08-018922610.3390/jimaging8090226X-ray Dark-Field Imaging for Improved Contrast in Historical Handwritten LiteratureBernhard Akstaller0Stephan Schreiner1Lisa Dietrich2Constantin Rauch3Max Schuster4Veronika Ludwig5Christina Hofmann-Randall6Thilo Michel7Gisela Anton8Stefan Funk9Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyErlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyErlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyErlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyErlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyErlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyUniversitätsbibliothek Handschriften und Graphische Sammlung, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universitätsstraße 4, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyErlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyErlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyErlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erwin-Rommel-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyIf ancient documents are too fragile to be opened, X-ray imaging can be used to recover the content non-destructively. As an extension to conventional attenuation imaging, dark-field imaging provides access to microscopic structural object information, which can be especially advantageous for materials with weak attenuation contrast, such as certain metal-free inks in paper. With cotton paper and different self-made inks based on authentic recipes, we produced test samples for attenuation and dark-field imaging at a metal-jet X-ray source. The resulting images show letters written in metal-free ink that were recovered via grating-based dark-field imaging. Without the need for synchrotron-like beam quality, these results set the ground for a mobile dark-field imaging setup that could be brought to a library for document scanning, avoiding long transport routes for valuable historic documents.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/8/9/226X-ray dark-field imaginggrating-based phase-contrast imagingcultural heritage |
spellingShingle | Bernhard Akstaller Stephan Schreiner Lisa Dietrich Constantin Rauch Max Schuster Veronika Ludwig Christina Hofmann-Randall Thilo Michel Gisela Anton Stefan Funk X-ray Dark-Field Imaging for Improved Contrast in Historical Handwritten Literature Journal of Imaging X-ray dark-field imaging grating-based phase-contrast imaging cultural heritage |
title | X-ray Dark-Field Imaging for Improved Contrast in Historical Handwritten Literature |
title_full | X-ray Dark-Field Imaging for Improved Contrast in Historical Handwritten Literature |
title_fullStr | X-ray Dark-Field Imaging for Improved Contrast in Historical Handwritten Literature |
title_full_unstemmed | X-ray Dark-Field Imaging for Improved Contrast in Historical Handwritten Literature |
title_short | X-ray Dark-Field Imaging for Improved Contrast in Historical Handwritten Literature |
title_sort | x ray dark field imaging for improved contrast in historical handwritten literature |
topic | X-ray dark-field imaging grating-based phase-contrast imaging cultural heritage |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/8/9/226 |
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