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Title: Biological Imaging by Soft X-ray Diffraction Microscopy

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

We have used the method of x-ray diffraction microscopy to image the complex-valued exit wave of an intact and unstained yeast cell. The images of the freeze-dried cell, obtained by using 750-eV x-rays from different angular orientations, portray several of the cell's major internal components to 30-nm resolution. The good agreement among the independently recovered structures demonstrates the accuracy of the imaging technique. To obtain the best possible reconstructions, we have implemented procedures for handling noisy and incomplete diffraction data, and we propose a method for determining the reconstructed resolution. This work represents a previously uncharacterized application of x-ray diffraction microscopy to a specimen of this complexity and provides confidence in the feasibility of the ultimate goal of imaging biological specimens at 10-nm resolution in three dimensions.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS)
Sponsoring Organization:
Doe - Office Of Science
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC02-98CH10886
OSTI ID:
913688
Report Number(s):
BNL-78256-2007-JA; PNASA6; TRN: US200804%%35
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 102, Issue 43; ISSN 0027-8424
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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