Talbot-Lau based Moire deflectometry with non-coherent sources as potential High Energy Density plasma diagnostic

X-ray phase-contrast radiography could better characterize highly localized density gradients expected in High Energy Density (HED) plasma experiments than conventional attenuation radiography. In particular, the Talbot-Lau (TL) grating interferometer, which works with extended and polychromatic x-ray sources, is a potentially attractive HED diagnostic due to its high sensitivity. For HED characterization the TL setup and imaging techniques must be changed from the recently studied medical system. The object magnification must be increased greatly in order to resolve mu m scale gradients while the Talbot magnification must be increased in order to keep the gratings away from the plasma. Additionally, techniques for retrieving the density profile from a single plasma image must be developed. We thus study the performance of high magnification TL interferometers, in conjunction with Moire fringe deflectometry for single image phase retrieval. The results show a very good interferometer contrast (<= 30%) at high magnification. The Moire technique enables measuring both sharp and mild density gradients with good accuracy and spatial resolution. Both the laboratory and simulation studies indicate that the TL based Moire deflectometry is more sensitive than the propagation phase-contrast method when utilizing an extended x-ray source (similar to 80 mu m). In HED experiments this would allow for less demanding X-ray backlighters than those used at present. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.