Responsive alignment for X-ray tomography beamlines

Abstract

X-ray computed tomography (CT) is an imaging technique intended to obtain the internal structure and three-dimensional representation of a sample. In general, parallel-beam CT reconstruction algorithms require a precise angular alignment and knowledge of the exact axis of rotation position. Highly brilliant X-ray sources with ever-increasing data-acquisition rates demand optimized alignment techniques to avoid compromising in situ data analysis. This paper presents a method to automatically align the angular orientation and linear position of the rotation axis in a tomography setup, correlating image features from different X-ray projections.