Machine learning is paving the way towards 3D X-rays

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new AI-based framework that can produce X-ray images in 3D. The team, which includes members from three divisions at Argonne, has developed a method to create 3D visualizations from X-ray data. Their efforts were meant to allow them to better use the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at their lab, but potential applications of this technology range from astronomy to electron microscopy. Lab tests showed that the new approach, called 3D-CDI-NN, can create 3D visualizations from data hundreds of times faster than existing technology. "In order to make full use of what the upgraded APS will be capable of, we have to reinvent data analytics. Our current methods are not enough to keep up. Machine learning can make full use and go beyond what is currently possible," says Mathew Cherukara of the Argonne National Laboratory, corresponding author of the paper.