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The Single Particles, Clusters and Biomolecules (SPB) instrument at theEuropean XFEL is located behind the SASE1 undulator, and aims to supportimaging and structure determination of biological specimen between about 0.1micrometer and 1 micrometer size. The instrument is designed to work at photonenergies from 3 keV up to 16 keV. This wide operation range is a cause forchallenges to the focusing optics. In particular, a long propagation distanceof about 900 m between x-ray source and sample leads to a large lateral photonbeam size at the optics. The beam divergence is the most important parameterfor the optical system, and is largest for the lowest photon energies and forthe shortest pulse duration (corresponding to the lowest charge). Due to thelarge divergence of nominal X-ray pulses with duration shorter than 10 fs, onesuffers diffraction from mirror aperture, leading to a 100-fold decrease influence at photon energies around 4 keV, which are ideal for imaging of singlebiomolecules. The nominal SASE1 output power is about 50 GW. This is very farfrom the level required for single biomolecule imaging, even assuming perfectbeamline and focusing efficiency. Here we demonstrate that the parameters ofthe accelerator complex and of the SASE1 undulator offer an opportunity tooptimize the SPB beamline for single biomolecule imaging with minimaladditional costs and time. Start to end simulations from the electron injectorat the beginning of the accelerator complex up to the generation of diffractiondata indicate that one can achieve diffraction without diffraction with about0.5 photons per Shannon pixel at near-atomic resolution with 1e13 photons in a4 fs pulse at 4 keV photon energy and in a 100 nm focus, corresponding to afluence of 1e23 ph/cm^2. This result is exemplified using the RNA Pol IImolecule as a case study.

Perspectives of Imaging of Single Protein Molecules with the Present  Design of the European XFEL. - Part I - X-ray Source, Beamlime Optics and  Instrument Simulations