Contact x-ray microscopy promises unique capabilities that are not possible with alternate microscopies, including: in-vivo microstructure imaging of live, unstained specimens, and localization and identification of minute concentrations of chemical elements with a resolution approaching 5 nanometers (50Angstrom). However, the current development status of x-ray sources is limited, making these capabilities difficult to realize or unachievable. The objectives of this program are to remove these limitations by developing a unique pulsed-plasma x-ray source, specifically optimized for x-ray imaging in biomedical applications. The general features of this source are compact size, high-intensity, tunable, x-ray output, high-repetition rate, and simplicity of operation. If successful, this program will demonstrate the utility of these x-ray sources for biomedical microscopy, with particular emphasis given toward imaging sample specimens of specific importance to cancer research. During Phase I the x-ray source will be designed and an experimental plan specified to characterize and evaluate the source performance for microscopy. During Phase II, the source will be assembled and the experimental plan executed. The benefits of this research will be to eliminate numerous technical impediments to contact x-ray microscopy and expedite the commercial availability of this technology to biomedical research scientists.
