Described here are systems and methods for generating x-ray phase contrast images from conventional x-ray attenuation data. X-ray attenuation coefficients generated over a range of x-ray energies are used to compute the x-ray phase signal up to a calibration constant. This calibration constant is computed from provided calibration data, which may be obtained using a dedicated x-ray differential phase contrast imaging system to measure the decrement of the refractive index of a calibration phantom.
