Space–time tradeoffs for parallel 3D reconstruction algorithms for virus‐structure determination

The 3D electron‐density determination of viruses, from experimental data provided by electron microscopy, is a data‐intensive computation that requires the use of clusters of PCs or parallel computers. In this paper we report on three parallel algorithms used for 3D reconstruction of asymmetric objects from their 2D projections. We discuss their computational, communication, I/O, and space requirements and present some performance data. The algorithms are general and can be used for 3D reconstruction of asymmetric objects for applications other than structural biology. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.