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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Main Authors: Bernhard Akstaller, Stephan Schreiner, Lisa Dietrich, Constantin Rauch, Max Schuster, Veronika Ludwig, Christina Hofmann-Randall, Thilo Michel, Gisela Anton, Stefan Funk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-08-01
Series:Journal of Imaging
Subjects:
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.
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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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AT veronikaludwig xraydarkfieldimagingforimprovedcontrastinhistoricalhandwrittenliterature
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