THE X-RAY TOMOGRAPHIC MICROSCOPE - 3-DIMENSIONAL PERSPECTIVES OF EVOLVING MICROSTRUCTURES

Recent advances in X-ray tomography using synchrotron radiation enable three-dimensional microscopic images to be obtained nondestructively from relatively large samples. With both increased sample size and improved spatial resolution, it is now possible to quantify experimentally-induced microstructural and microchemical changes in materials as they occur in situ, in vitr, and even in vivo. With the X-ray tomographic microscope, we have begun to improve our understanding of the processing of ceramic matrix composites, bone loss in osteoporosis, and the development of caries lesions in teeth.