Dynamically-varied beam energy using a tunable monochromatic X-ray beam

A method, comprising:

• applying at a first time an output of a substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source to a target tissue in a body of a patient, an energy of the output at the first time from the substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source at the target tissue substantially corresponding to a binding energy level of an electron shell in an atom within the target tissue;
• identifying a location of the target tissue after the applying at the first time;
• tuning the substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source such that an energy of an output at a second time of the substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source at the target tissue substantially corresponds to the binding energy level of the electron shell in the atom within the target tissue based on the location of the target tissue, the second time being no earlier than the first time;
• applying the output of the substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source to the target tissue at the second time;
• identifying a location of the target tissue at a third time no earlier than the second time;
• determining a positional variation of the location of the target tissue at the third time relative to the location of the target tissue at the second time;
• and
• changing a path of the output of the substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source relative to the target tissue such that an energy of the output of the substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source at the target tissue at a fourth time substantially corresponds to the binding energy level of the electron shell in the atom within the target tissue at the fourth time, the fourth time being no earlier than the third time.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source;
• a positioning device, the positioning device being configured to define a plurality of paths of an output of the substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source relative to a patient;
• an image detector, the image detector being configured to produce data associated with a target tissue within a body of the patient;
• and
• a processor, the processor being communicatively coupled to the image detector and the substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source, the processor being configured to receive the data associated with the target tissue from the image detector, the processor being configured to effect an adjustment to the substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source such that an energy of the output of the substantially monochromatic x-ray beam source at the target tissue substantially corresponds to a binding energy level of an electron shell in an atom within the target tissue along the plurality of paths.