Abstract
The availability of third-generation synchrotrons and ultimately X-ray free-electron lasers1 is driving the development of many new methods of microscopy. Among these techniques, coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) is one of the most promising, offering nanometre-scale imaging of non-crystallographic samples. Image reconstruction from a single diffraction pattern has hitherto been possible only for small, isolated samples, presenting a fundamental limitation on the CDI method. Here we report on a form of imaging we term ‘keyhole’ CDI, which can reconstruct objects of arbitrary size. We demonstrate the technique using visible light and X-rays, with the latter producing images of part of an extended object with a detector-limited resolution of better than 20 nm. Combining the improved resolution of modern X-ray optics with the wavelength-limited resolution of CDI, the method paves the way for detailed imaging of a single quantum dot or of a small virus within a complex host environment.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge L. Whitehead for assistance in acquiring optical data. We also acknowledge the support of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-Ray Science and the Australian Synchrotron Research Program. Use of the Advanced Photon Source was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.
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B.A., G.J.W., J.N.C., M.A.P., M.D.J. and I.M. made the X-ray measurements. B.A. carried out visible light experiments. B.A. and G.J.W. were responsible for data analysis and project planning. K.A.N., G.J.W. and A.G.P. were responsible for the initial concept. All authors contributed to the writing of the manuscript.
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Abbey, B., Nugent, K., Williams, G. et al. Keyhole coherent diffractive imaging. Nature Phys 4, 394–398 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys896
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys896
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