Enhancing image quality in holotomography experiments using coded apertures

Structured illumination with coded apertures is an efficient method for collecting high-quality X-ray data while reducing radiation dose. These apertures, fabricated using nano-lithography, exhibit minimal absorption at high energies and introduce significant phase shifts in the illumination for dose efficiency. Unlike traditional holotomography, coded apertures eliminate the need for sample motion along the X-ray beam, reducing acquisition time and alignment errors. They also facilitate rapid convergence of iterative algorithms and enable dynamic experiments previously limited by single-distance measurements. At ID16A, we aim to demonstrate the competitiveness of coded apertures compared to multi-distance acquisition, and explore the possibility of single-distance holotomography. For demonstration, we will focus on high-resolution imaging of fruit fly photoreceptor synapses, a challenging application with conventional methods due to low contrast and alignment issues.