Beamline 1.2W

X-ray Tomographic Microscopy

BL1.2W: X-ray Tomographic Microscopy (XTM)

Synchrotron Light Research Institute (SLRI), Thailand

The XTM beamline provides synchrotron X-ray micro-computed tomography (SR-MicroCT) for non-destructive 3D visualization of the internal structure of samples. Using an intense polychromatic beam from a 2.2 T multipole wiggler on the 1.2 GeV storage ring, the beamline delivers lower noise and higher spatial resolution (down to 1.5 µm) than conventional laboratory X-ray tube micro-CT.

Experimental hutch of the XTM beamline BL1.2W — Experimental hutch of the XTM beamline (BL1.2W)

Specifications

Source	Multipole wiggler, 2.2 T
Storage ring	1.2 GeV
Radiation type	Polychromatic (white) beam
Energy range	5 – 20 keV
Beam size	10 × 4 mm (H × V)
Imaging efficiency	100 frames/s
Spatial resolution	1.5 µm (pixel size 0.72 µm)
Projection microscope	Optique Peter white-beam microscope, 2×, 5×, 10×
Detector	YAG:Ce scintillator + sCMOS camera (PCO.edge 5.5)
Data acquisition / analysis	LabVIEW-based: XIMaq, XIMove; Octopus

Beamline Layout

Multipole wiggler
WB slits
Toroidal focusing mirror
Be window
Attenuator
Rotating sample
Scintillator
Microscope
sCMOS camera

Schematic layout of the XTM beamline from the wiggler source to the sCMOS camera — Schematic of the XTM beamline optics and detector

Optical Performance

PCO.edge sCMOS camera (2560 × 2160 pixels)

Magnification	2×	5×	10×
Horizontal field of view (mm)	9.24	2.47	1.85
Vertical field of view (mm)	7.80	2.08	1.56
Pixel size (µm)	3.61	0.96	0.72
Depth of focus, ± (µm)	146	8.5	4.8
Max. resolution (µm)	5	3	1.5

Facilities

Experimental hutch

CT station with rotating sample stage, white-beam microscope and sCMOS detector.

Control cabin

Experiment control and setup, data acquisition, sample preparation, data processing and backup.

How It Works

CT data processing workflow: X-ray projections from 0 to 180 degrees, background correction, sinograms, back-projection reconstruction into tomograms, and 3D volume presentation — X-ray projections → background correction → sinograms → tomogram reconstruction → 3D volume

Applications

Medical science

Bone porosity analysis (e.g. osteoporosis studies), 3D surface rendering of bone.

Agricultural science

Soil structure, e.g. biochar-amended soil; insects such as bagworms and beetles.

Earth science

Microfossils (<500 µm) such as foraminifera and ostracods, fossil skulls, gemstones.

Material science

Phase distribution in cement and composites (BaTiO₃/PDMS), corrosion propagation in stainless steel welds.

Development Timeline

2015 Front end, optics and hutch
2016 Interlock system, experimental hutch, first X-ray image
2017 CT station, XIMaq 1, first 3D CT, commissioning
2018 User operation in white-beam mode, XIMaq 3, serial scan
2019 Monochromatic beam mode, rapid data acquisition (planned)