Simon Zabler

X-ray Imaging by Partially Coherent Synchrotron Light: Application to Metallic Alloys, Tooth Dentin and Natural Rock Simon Zabler

The hard spectrum which is available on the BAMline at Berlin''s synchrotron BESSY offers the rare opportunity to perform high-resolution X-ray imaging experiments with a partially coherent beam. This thesis work reports on the development of a new tomography system, including Fresnel-propagated imaging, and its application to three specific materials science problems from the fields of engineering materials, biology and earth science: A) 2D and 3D images were recorded from a variety of aluminum-based alloys to characterize coarsening of particle agglomerates (at high solid volume fraction) in liquid solution, as well as rheological properties of semi-solid alloys. B) Dentin is the bulk material of teeth characterized by a quasi-parallel arrangement of micrometer-sized tubules which are believed to incarnate a natural mechanical design. C) Understanding rock fracture is one of the fundamental problems in earth science now reviewed in three dimensions.