Fig. 1

Schematic layout of the experimental geometry and the phase retrieval of in situ CDI. a A coherent wave illuminates a dual-pinhole aperture to create a static and a dynamic region, \(S\left( {\mathbf{r}} \right){\mathrm{and}}\;D_t\left( {\mathbf{r}} \right)\). A sample in the dynamic region changes its structure over time and a time series of diffraction patterns are collected by a detector. b By using the static region as a powerful time-invariant constraint in real space, the in situ CDI algorithm iterates between real and reciprocal space and simultaneously reconstructs a time series of complex exit waves of the dynamic processes in the sample with robust and fast convergence. ℱ and ℱ⁻¹ represent the fast Fourier transform and its inverse, respectively