Close
Detecting the undetectable - transforming the use of x-rays 124 years after their discovery
29 October 2019, 1:00 pm–2:00 pm
This lecture raises awareness of World Radiography Day on 8 November. The date marks the anniversary of the discovery of x-radiation by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. November 8 2019 marks 124 years since the discovery of the x-ray.
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
Emma Hart
Location
-
Darwin Lecture Theatre044: Darwin BuildingGower StreetLondonWC1E 6BTUnited Kingdom
Watch via the live stream
Register to attend
About the lecture:
Most people are familiar with the medical use of x-rays, however they are used much more widely, e.g. in industrial testing, materials science, biology, security inspections, cultural heritage preservation. This notwithstanding, x-ray imaging has been performed in the same way since Roentgen’s discovery more than 120 years ago: by exploiting differences in x-ray attenuation. While this approach is often reliable, it breaks down when thin details need to be detected, or materials with similar attenuation distinguished (e.g. tumours in soft tissue). We have developed a solution based on fact that the x-ray speed changes when different materials are traversed ("phase" contrast).
About the Speaker
Sandro Olivo
Professor of Applied Physics at Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, UCL
Sandro is Professor of Applied Physics with the Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, and the spokesperson of the "Advanced X-Ray Imaging" (AXIm) Group. Sandro has worked in x-ray imaging for 25 years, and is considered a pioneer in the field of X-ray phase contrast imaging, having co-designed the in vivo mammography system operational at the Trieste synchrotron, and invented the “edge-illumination” and “coded-aperture” methods, currently being translated in a number of application fields by Nikon and other companies.
Other events in this series