Beamline 12.3.2 Als

Tunable X-rays let researchers adjust the beam to the sample and measurement goal, while detectors capture how the specimen changes the transmitted signal. Attenuation records X-ray loss through the material, and phase-related changes provide additional information about internal structure. Together, these signals support micrometer-scale analysis of pores, interfaces, and defects without cutting the sample.

Rotation changes the viewing direction, producing a series of projections rather than a single radiographic image. Reconstruction combines those measurements into a three-dimensional representation of the specimen’s interior. This geometry helps reveal how features are arranged through the volume, allowing researchers to examine internal structure and defects that would be difficult to assess from one projection alone.

Attenuation and phase-related measurements provide distinct signals during analysis. Detectors record both kinds of changes as the specimen rotates, so the resulting projections contain more than a simple record of X-ray transmission. Reconstruction uses these projection data to produce three-dimensional views that can expose internal pores, interfaces, and defects inside an intact sample.

Because the specimen can be examined without sectioning, researchers can preserve its internal arrangement while investigating the relationship between chemical processing and morphology. This makes the beamline useful for following how treatment is associated with changes in pores, interfaces, or defects, rather than relying only on a prepared cross-section.

Researchers direct intense, tunable X-rays through the specimen while it rotates and collect detector measurements of attenuation and phase-related changes. They then organize the resulting projections for reconstruction, producing a three-dimensional view of the sample’s interior. The workflow preserves the specimen during measurement and supports examination of features that are not visible from its exterior.

In chemistry and materials research, the facility can be applied to catalysts and functional materials, where internal morphology, pores, interfaces, and defects may matter. The same imaging approach also supports geological and biological specimens. Its value is the ability to connect observed internal structure with chemical processing while avoiding sectioning and preserving three-dimensional context.