Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A configuration for obtaining quantitative x-ray images from a sample, the configuration comprising:an X-ray source outputting x-rays;a position-sensitive detector with spatially modulated detection sensitivity having a number of individual pixels;a recorder for recording the x-ray images of said position-sensitive detector;a processor for evaluating intensities in a single shot image for obtaining characteristics of the sample including absorption, differential phase contrast and directional, small-angle scattering contrast, for specified regions of the pixels;a phase-shift periodic structure being:i) a 2D periodic structure composed of unit cells, said unit cells being circular gratings, a period of said unit cells is P and that of said circular gratings is p, wherein periodic structures in a circular grating generate a considerable X-ray phase shift difference, which is of π/2 or odd multiples thereof, hereinafter referred to as π/2 shift; or π or π+N×2×π, hereinafter referred to as π shift, where N is an integer number; orii) a honeycomb structure composed of unit cells, each unit cell is a circular grating which allows a maximum filling factor of such a periodic structure, periodic structures in said circular grating generate a considerable X-ray phase shift difference, which is of π/2 or odd multiples thereof, hereinafter referred to as π/2 shift; or π or π+N×2×π, hereinafter referred to as π shift, where N is an integer number;said phase-shift periodic structure creates a periodic interference pattern with a repetition of each said unit cell being P′ and a period within each said unit cell is p′ at a known distance, Talbot effect, downstream on said position-sensitive detector; where P′ and p′ match a radius of curvature of an incident wavefront by relation            p      ′        =                  1        η            ⁢      p      ⁢                                    d            1                    +                      l            1                                    l          1                      ,            P      ′        =                  1        η            ⁢      P      ⁢                                    d            1                    +                      l            1                                    l          1                     where:l1 is a distance between said X-ray source and said phase-shift periodic structure; andd1 is a distance between said phase-shift periodic structure and a created self-image η=1 for π/2 shift grating while η=2 for π shift grating. 2. The configuration according to claim 1, wherein said phase-shift periodic structure is made by:deep etching into silicon, a polymer or similar material, for low energy X-ray photons; ordepositing a heavy metal into gaps of a low-absorbing structure or grow the heavy metal on a low-absorbing substrate, in either case the heavy metal is used as a phase shift material for high energy X-ray photons. 3. The configuration according to claim 1, further comprising an absorption grating disposed in front of, or embedded into said X-ray source:wherein said l1 is a distance between said absorption grating and said phase-shift periodic structure; andwherein said absorption grating is a 2D chessboard/mesh-type grating with a pitch of      p    0    =      p    ×                  l        1                    d        1             or integer multiples thereof. 4. The configuration according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism being comprised to place the sample to be investigated between said X-ray source and said phase-shift periodic structure, or between said phase-shift periodic structure and said position-sensitive detector. 5. The configuration according to claim 1, wherein an analysis procedure is implemented for obtaining the absorption, the differential phase contrast and directional scattering contrasts of the sample that comprises the steps of recording two intensity images of an interference pattern, one sample image with the sample and one flat image without the sample on said position-sensitive detector. 6. The configuration according to claim 1, wherein said processor detects a location of individual ones of said unit cells on a recorded flat image by using a circular nature of said phase-shift periodic structure, that being said, an intensity maximum is observed in a center of said unit cell. 7. The configuration according to claim 6, wherein said processor calculates a shift between the recorded flat image and a sample image of each said unit cell. 8. The configuration according to claim 1, wherein said processor evaluates a radial visibility reduction for every angle in order to obtain omnidirectional scattering images. 9. The configuration according to claim 1, further comprising means for rotating the sample relatively to remaining components of the configuration to perform data collection for a tomographic scan. 10. The configuration according to claim 1, wherein said phase-shift periodic structure is an absorption grating. 11. The configuration according to claim 1, whereinthe x-rays are hard x-rays; andsaid X-ray source is a standard polychromatic X-ray source. 12. The configuration according to claim 6, wherein said processor calculates a shift between the recorded flat image and a sample image of each said unit cell, achieved either with Fourier based methods and/or Hilbert transform methods by calculating an analytical signal or spatial correlation methods. 13. The configuration according to claim 1, wherein said processor evaluates a radial visibility reduction for every angle in order to obtain omnidirectional scattering images accomplished by Fourier methods from the following formula      (          n      ,      m      ,      O        )    =                              R          k          s                ⁢                  R          0          f                                      R          k          f                ⁢                  R          0          f                      .   14. The configuration according to claim 1, wherein said X-ray source has a 2D array of individual sources that may be mutually incoherent and whose lateral separation is      p    0    =      p    ×                  l        1                    d        1            or integer multiples thereof. 15. The configuration according to claim 3, further comprising a mechanism being comprised to place the sample to be investigated between said absorption grating and said phase-shift periodic structure, or between said phase-shift periodic structure and said position-sensitive detector.