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Title: Current Status of Single Particle Imaging with X-ray Lasers

Journal Article · · Applied Sciences
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/app8010132· OSTI ID:1425395
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2]
  1. Shandong Univ., Jinan (China). State Key Lab. of Crystal Materials; SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source; ShanghaiTech Univ. (China). School of Physical Science and Technology
  2. ShanghaiTech Univ. (China). School of Physical Science and Technology
  3. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Linac Coherent Light Source; Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Physics

The advent of ultrafast X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) opens the tantalizing possibility of the atomic-resolution imaging of reproducible objects such as viruses, nanoparticles, single molecules, clusters, and perhaps biological cells, achieving a resolution for single particle imaging better than a few tens of nanometers. Improving upon this is a significant challenge which has been the focus of a global single particle imaging (SPI) initiative launched in December 2014 at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, USA. A roadmap was outlined, and significant multi-disciplinary effort has since been devoted to work on the technical challenges of SPI such as radiation damage, beam characterization, beamline instrumentation and optics, sample preparation and delivery and algorithm development at multiple institutions involved in the SPI initiative. Currently, the SPI initiative has achieved 3D imaging of rice dwarf virus (RDV) and coliphage PR772 viruses at ~10 nm resolution by using soft X-ray FEL pulses at the Atomic Molecular and Optical (AMO) instrument of LCLS. Meanwhile, diffraction patterns with signal above noise up to the corner of the detector with a resolution of ~6 Ångström (Å) were also recorded with hard X-rays at the Coherent X-ray Imaging (CXI) instrument, also at LCLS. Achieving atomic resolution is truly a grand challenge and there is still a long way to go in light of recent developments in electron microscopy. However, the potential for studying dynamics at physiological conditions and capturing ultrafast biological, chemical and physical processes represents a tremendous potential application, attracting continued interest in pursuing further method development. In this paper, we give a brief introduction of SPI developments and look ahead to further method development.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); ShanghaiTech Univ. (China); Shandong Univ., Jinan (China)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); Major State Basic Research Development Program of China; China Scholarship Council
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515; 31430031; 2014CB910401
OSTI ID:
1425395
Journal Information:
Applied Sciences, Vol. 8, Issue 1; ISSN 2076-3417
Publisher:
MDPICopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 25 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Imaging electron-density fluctuations by multidimensional X-ray photon-coincidence diffraction journal December 2018
Ultrafast measurements of the dynamics of single nanostructures: a review journal November 2018
Biological single-particle imaging using XFELs – towards the next resolution revolution journal October 2018
A fixed-target platform for serial femtosecond crystallography in a hydrated environment text January 2020
Biological single-particle imaging using XFELs – towards the next resolution revolution text January 2018
Role of Computational Methods in Going beyond X-ray Crystallography to Explore Protein Structure and Dynamics journal October 2018