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Nature Physics 4, 351–353 (1 May 2008) | doi:10.1038/nphys952

X-Ray optics: Clarity through a keyhole

Janos Hajdu & Filipe R. N. C. Maia

Coherent diffraction imaging opens a window on the nanoscopic world by permitting structural studies on non-crystalline objects, such as magnetic nanostructures, living cells, single virus particles or biomolecules. The ultimate resolution of this technique does not depend on sample quality, as it does in conventional crystallography, but only on the wavelength used, the extent of ionization damage to the sample, and the amount of sample movement during the exposure.