Towards Dark-Field X-ray Microscopy Through Coherent Encoding

This study explores the feasibility of using structured illumination with coherent light in dark-field X-ray microscopy (DFXM) through simplified numerical simulations. By introducing phase and amplitude modulation via a slit aperture, we investigate the potential to enhance spatial resolution and photon utilization without sacrificing beam flux. A gradient descent-based solver is employed to analyze the reconstruction quality of 3D samples, demonstrating the method’s ability to recover fine structural details under these simplified conditions. Although the findings are preliminary, they suggest a promising direction for integrating coherent encoding strategies into DFXM, potentially enabling more efficient imaging of embedded microstructures and strain fields in crystalline materials. This work lays the foundation for future experimental validation and the development of advanced reconstruction algorithms.