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Coherent lensless X-ray imaging

Nature Photonics volume 4, pages 833–839 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

Very high resolution X-ray imaging has been the subject of considerable research over the past few decades. However, the spatial resolution of these methods is limited by the manufacturing quality of the X-ray optics. More recently, lensless X-ray imaging has emerged as a powerful approach that is able to circumvent this limitation. A number of classes of lensless X-ray imaging have been developed so far, with many based on other forms of optics. Here we report the key progress in this area, describe the potential applications for biology and materials science, and discuss the prospect for imaging single molecules using X-ray free-electron lasers.

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Figure 1: Experimental configurations for X-ray coherent diffractive imaging.
Figure 2: Biological imaging is an important area for applications of CDI.
Figure 3: Bragg CDI is able to recover the three-dimensional shape and strain structure from a nanocrystal.
Figure 4: Scanning diffraction microscopy is able to recover images of extended objects.
Figure 5: Holographic reconstructions of a sample containing bit-patterned magnetic media.

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Acknowledgements

K.A.N. acknowledges the support of the Australian Research Council through its Federation Fellowship and Centres of Excellence programmes. H.N.C. acknowledges support from the Helmholtz Association and the Joachim Herz Stiftung.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Free Electron Laser Science, DESY and University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Henry N. Chapman

  2. ARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Science, School of Physics, the University of Melbourne, 3010, Victoria, Australia

    Keith A. Nugent

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Correspondence to Keith A. Nugent.

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Chapman, H., Nugent, K. Coherent lensless X-ray imaging. Nature Photon 4, 833–839 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2010.240

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