Open AccessHolographic soft X-ray omni-microscopy of biological specimens
Author(s) -
Erik Guehrs,
C. Günther,
René Könnecke,
Bastian Pfau,
Stefan Eisebitt
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.17.006710
Subject(s) - optics , holography , femtosecond , microscopy , phase retrieval , materials science , digital holographic microscopy , phase (matter) , spatial frequency , phase contrast imaging , differential interference contrast microscopy , diffraction , synchrotron radiation , interference microscopy , fourier transform , zernike polynomials , holographic interferometry , wavefront , physics , laser , phase contrast microscopy , quantum mechanics
Mask-based digital soft X-ray Fourier transform holography using coherent synchrotron radiation is applied to image diatoms and freeze-dried 3T3 fibroblast cells. At soft X-ray wavelengths between 4 nm and 8 nm we achieve spatial resolutions down to 450 nm over a 33.5 microm field of view. As holography records amplitude and phase of the scattered wavefield, images with different contrast mechanisms can be generated a posteriori by numerical processing of the holographic data ("omni-microscopy"). We present Zernike phase contrast, Schlieren phase contrast, differential interference and gradient contrast images based on amplitude and phase information. We discuss the potential of this approach for destructive single-shot imaging beyond dose limitations of biological samples at coherent femtosecond-pulsed X-ray sources.