PhaseX: an X-ray phase-contrast imaging simulation code for matter under extreme conditions.

ABSTRACT

We present PhaseX, a simulation code for X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI), specially dedicated to the study of matter under extreme conditions (of pressure and density). Indeed, XPCI can greatly benefit the diagnosis of such states of matter. This is due to the noticeable contrast enhancement obtained thanks to the exploitation of both attenuation and phase-shift of the electromagnetic waves crossing the sample to be diagnosed. PhaseX generates synthetic images with and without phase contrast. Thanks to its modular design PhaseX can adapt to any imaging set-up and accept as inputs objects generated by hydrodynamic or particle-in-cell codes. We illustrate Phase-X capabilities by showing a few examples concerning laser-driven implosions and laser-driven shock waves.