| 1. |
- Andreasson, Jakob, et al.
(author)
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Automated identification and classification of single particle serial femtosecond X-ray diffraction data
- 2014
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In: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 22:3, s. 2497-2510
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The first hard X-ray laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), produces 120 shots per second. Particles injected into the X-ray beam are hit randomly and in unknown orientations by the extremely intense X-ray pulses, where the femtosecond-duration X-ray pulses diffract from the sample before the particle structure is significantly changed even though the sample is ultimately destroyed by the deposited X-ray energy. Single particle X-ray diffraction experiments generate data at the FEL repetition rate, resulting in more than 400,000 detector readouts in an hour, the data stream during an experiment contains blank frames mixed with hits on single particles, clusters and contaminants. The diffraction signal is generally weak and it is superimposed on a low but continually fluctuating background signal, originating from photon noise in the beam line and electronic noise from the detector. Meanwhile, explosion of the sample creates fragments with a characteristic signature. Here, we describe methods based on rapid image analysis combined with ion Time-of-Flight (ToF) spectroscopy of the fragments to achieve an efficient, automated and unsupervised sorting of diffraction data. The studies described here form a basis for the development of real-time frame rejection methods, e. g. for the European XFEL, which is expected to produce 100 million pulses per hour. (C)2014 Optical Society of America
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Ayyer, Kartik, et al.
(author)
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3D diffractive imaging of nanoparticle ensembles using an x-ray laser
- 2021
-
In: Optica. - : Optical Society of America. - 2334-2536. ; 8:1, s. 15-23
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Single particle imaging at x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) has the potential to determine the structure and dynamics of single biomolecules at room temperature. Two major hurdles have prevented this potential from being reached, namely, the collection of sufficient high-quality diffraction patterns and robust computational purification to overcome structural heterogeneity. We report the breaking of both of these barriers using gold nanoparticle test samples, recording around 10 million diffraction patterns at the European XFEL and structurally and orientationally sorting the patterns to obtain better than 3-nm-resolution 3D reconstructions for each of four samples. With these new developments, integrating advancements in x-ray sources, fast-framing detectors, efficient sample delivery, and data analysis algorithms, we illuminate the path towards sub-nano meter biomolecular imaging. The methods developed here can also be extended to characterize ensembles that are inherently diverse to obtain their full structural landscape. Published by The Optical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
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| 4. |
- Barty, A., et al.
(author)
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Self-terminating diffraction gates femtosecond X-ray nanocrystallography measurements
- 2012
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In: Nature Photonics. - 1749-4885 .- 1749-4893. ; 6:1, s. 35-40
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- X-ray free-electron lasers have enabled new approaches to the structural determination of protein crystals that are too small or radiation-sensitive for conventional analysis1. For sufficiently short pulses, diffraction is collected before significant changes occur to the sample, and it has been predicted that pulses as short as 10 fs may be required to acquire atomic-resolution structural information1, 2, 3, 4. Here, we describe a mechanism unique to ultrafast, ultra-intense X-ray experiments that allows structural information to be collected from crystalline samples using high radiation doses without the requirement for the pulse to terminate before the onset of sample damage. Instead, the diffracted X-rays are gated by a rapid loss of crystalline periodicity, producing apparent pulse lengths significantly shorter than the duration of the incident pulse. The shortest apparent pulse lengths occur at the highest resolution, and our measurements indicate that current X-ray free-electron laser technology5 should enable structural determination from submicrometre protein crystals with atomic resolution.
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| 5. |
- Bellisario, Alfredo
(author)
-
Deep learning assisted phase retrieval and computational methods in coherent diffractive imaging
- 2024
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In recent years, advances in Artificial Intelligence and experimental techniques have revolutionized the field of structural biology. X-ray crystallography and Cryo-EM have provided unprecedented insights into the structures of biomolecules, while the unexpected success of AlphaFold has opened up new avenues of investigation. However, studying the dynamics of proteins at high resolution remains a significant obstacle, especially for fast dynamics. Single-particle imaging (SPI) or Flash X-ray Imaging (FXI) is an emerging technique that may enable the mapping of the conformational landscape of biological molecules at high resolution and fast time scale. This thesis discusses the potential of SPI/FXI, its challenges, recent experimental successes, and the advancements driving its development. In particular, machine learning and neural networks could play a vital role in fostering data analysis and improving SPI/FXI data processing. In Paper I, we discuss the problem of noise and detector masks in collecting FXI data. I simulated a dataset of diffraction patterns and used it to train a Convolutional Neural Network (U-Net) to restore data by denoising and filling in detector masks. As a natural continuation of this work, I trained another machine learning model in Paper II to estimate 2D protein densities from diffraction intensities. In the final chapter, corresponding to Paper III, we discuss another experimental method, time-resolved Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), and a new algorithm recently developed for SAXS data, the DENsity from Solution Scattering (DENSS) algorithm. I discuss the potential of DENSS in time-resolved SAXS and its application for structural fitting of AsLOV2, a Light-Oxygen-Voltage (LOV) protein domain from Avena sativa.
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| 6. |
- Bellisario, Alfredo, et al.
(author)
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Deep learning phase retrieval in X-ray single-particle imaging and object support from autocorrelations
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Phase retrieval is an important optimization problem that occurs, for example, in the analysis of coherent diffraction patterns from isolated proteins. All iterative algorithms employed for phase retrieval in this context require some a priori knowledge of the object, usually in the form of a support that describes the extent of the particle. Phase retrieval is a time-consuming task that can often fail, particularly if the support is too loose or of bad quality. In this paper, we present a neural network that can produce low-resolution estimates of the phased object in a fraction of the time that it takes for a full phase retrieval and that can also successfully be used as support for further analysis. Our network is trained on simulated data from biological macromolecules and is thus tailored to the type of data seen in a typical CDI experiment. Other approaches to support finding either require very accurate data without missing regions or require the full phase-retrieval algorithm to be run for a long time. Our network could both speed up off-line analysis, and provide real-time feedback during data collection.
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| 7. |
- Bellisario, Alfredo, et al.
(author)
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Noise reduction and mask removal neural network for X-ray single-particle imaging
- 2022
-
In: Journal of applied crystallography. - : International Union of Crystallography (IUCr). - 0021-8898 .- 1600-5767. ; 55, s. 122-132
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Free-electron lasers could enable X-ray imaging of single biological macro-molecules and the study of protein dynamics, paving the way for a powerful new imaging tool in structural biology, but a low signal-to-noise ratio and missing regions in the detectors, colloquially termed 'masks', affect data collection and hamper real-time evaluation of experimental data. In this article, the challenges posed by noise and masks are tackled by introducing a neural network pipeline that aims to restore diffraction intensities. For training and testing of the model, a data set of diffraction patterns was simulated from 10 900 different proteins with molecular weights within the range of 10-100 kDa and collected at a photon energy of 8 keV. The method is compared with a simple low-pass filtering algorithm based on autocorrelation constraints. The results show an improvement in the mean-squared error of roughly two orders of magnitude in the presence of masks compared with the noisy data. The algorithm was also tested at increasing mask width, leading to the conclusion that demasking can achieve good results when the mask is smaller than half of the central speckle of the pattern. The results highlight the competitiveness of this model for data processing and the feasibility of restoring diffraction intensities from unknown structures in real time using deep learning methods. Finally, an example is shown of this preprocessing making orientation recovery more reliable, especially for data sets containing very few patterns, using the expansion-maximization-compression algorithm.
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| 8. |
- Daurer, Benedikt J.
(author)
-
Algorithms for Coherent Diffractive Imaging with X-ray Lasers
- 2017
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) has become a very popular technique over the past two decades. CDI is a "lensless" imaging method which replaces the objective lens of a conventional microscope by a computational image reconstruction procedure. Its increase in popularity came together with the development of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) which produce extremely bright and coherent X-rays. By facilitating these unique properties, CDI enables structure determination of non-crystalline samples at nanometre resolution and has many applications in structural biology, material science and X-ray optics among others. This work focuses on two specific CDI techniques, flash X-ray diffractive imaging (FXI) on biological samples and X-ray ptychography.While the first FXI demonstrations using soft X-rays have been quite promising, they also revealed remaining technical challenges. FXI becomes even more demanding when approaching shorter wavelengths to allow subnanometre resolution imaging. We described one of the first FXI experiments using hard X-rays and characterized the most critical components of such an experiment, namely the properties of X-ray focus, sample delivery and detectors. Based on our findings, we discussed experimental and computational strategies for FXI to overcome its current difficulties and reach its full potential. We deposited the data in the Coherent X-ray Database (CXIDB) and made our data analysis code available in a public repository. We developed algorithms targeted towards the needs of FXI experiments and implemented a software package which enables the analysis of diffraction data in real time.X-ray ptychography has developed into a very useful tool for quantitative imaging of complex materials and has found applications in many areas. However, it involves a computational reconstruction step which can be slow. Therefore, we developed a fast GPU-based ptychographic solver and combined it with a framework for real-time data processing which already starts the ptychographic reconstruction process while data is still being collected. This provides immediate feedback to the user and allows high-throughput ptychographic imaging.Finally, we have used ptychographic imaging as a method to study the wavefront of a focused XFEL beam under typical FXI conditions. We are convinced that this work on developing strategies and algorithms for FXI and ptychography is a valuable contribution to the development of coherent diffractive imaging.
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| 9. |
- Daurer, Benedikt J., et al.
(author)
-
Experimental strategies for imaging bioparticles with femtosecond hard X-ray pulses
- 2017
-
In: IUCrJ. - : INT UNION CRYSTALLOGRAPHY. - 2052-2525. ; 4, s. 251-262
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study explores the capabilities of the Coherent X-ray Imaging Instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source to image small biological samples. The weak signal from small samples puts a significant demand on the experiment. Aerosolized Omono River virus particles of similar to 40 nm in diameter were injected into the submicrometre X-ray focus at a reduced pressure. Diffraction patterns were recorded on two area detectors. The statistical nature of the measurements from many individual particles provided information about the intensity profile of the X-ray beam, phase variations in the wavefront and the size distribution of the injected particles. The results point to a wider than expected size distribution (from similar to 35 to similar to 300 nm in diameter). This is likely to be owing to nonvolatile contaminants from larger droplets during aerosolization and droplet evaporation. The results suggest that the concentration of nonvolatile contaminants and the ratio between the volumes of the initial droplet and the sample particles is critical in such studies. The maximum beam intensity in the focus was found to be 1.9 * 10(12) photons per mu m(2) per pulse. The full-width of the focus at half-maximum was estimated to be 500 nm (assuming 20% beamline transmission), and this width is larger than expected. Under these conditions, the diffraction signal from a sample-sized particle remained above the average background to a resolution of 4.25 nm. The results suggest that reducing the size of the initial droplets during aerosolization is necessary to bring small particles into the scope of detailed structural studies with X-ray lasers.
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| 10. |
- Daurer, Benedikt J., et al.
(author)
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Ptychographic wavefront characterization for single-particle imaging at x-ray lasers
- 2021
-
In: Optica. - : Optical Society of America. - 2334-2536. ; 8:4, s. 551-562
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A well-characterized wavefront is important for many x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) experiments, especially for single-particle imaging (SPI), where individual biomolecules randomly sample a nanometer region of highly focused femtosecond pulses. We demonstrate high-resolution multiple-plane wavefront imaging of an ensemble of XFEL pulses, focused by Kirkpatrick–Baez mirrors, based on mixed-state ptychography, an approach letting us infer and reduce experimental sources of instability. From the recovered wavefront profiles, we show that while local photon fluence correction is crucial and possible for SPI, a small diversity of phase tilts likely has no impact. Our detailed characterization will aid interpretation of data from past and future SPI experiments and provides a basis for further improvements to experimental design and reconstruction algorithms.
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| 11. |
- Daurer, Benedikt J, et al.
(author)
-
Wavefront sensing of individual XFEL pulses using ptychography
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The characterization of the wavefront dynamics is important for many X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) experiments, in particular for coherent diffractive imaging (CDI), as the reconstructed image is always the product of the incoming wavefront with the object. An accurate understanding of the wavefront is also important for any experiment wishing to achieve peak power densities, making use of the tightest possible focal spots. With the use of ptychography we demonstrate high-resolution imaging of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) beam focused at the endstation for Atomic, Molecular and Optical (AMO) experiments, including its phase and intensity at every plane along its propagation axis, for each individual pulse. Using a mixed-state approach, we have reconstructed the most dominant beam components that constitute an ensemble of pulses, and from the reconstructed components determined their respective contribution in each of the individual pulses. This enabled us to obtain complete wavefront information about each individual pulse. We hope that our findings aid interpretation of data from past and future LCLS experiments and we propose this method to be used routinely for XFEL beam diagnostics.
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| 12. |
- Ekeberg, Tomas, 1983-, et al.
(author)
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Data requirements for single-particle diffractive imaging
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Single-shot diffractive imaging with ultra-short and very intense coherent X-ray pulses has become a routine experimental technique at new free-electron-laser facilities. Extension to three-dimensional imaging requires many diffraction pat- terns from identical objects captured in different orientations. These can then be combined into a full three-dimensional Fourier transform of the object. The ori- entation of the particle intercepted by the pulsed X-ray beam is usually unknown. This makes it hard to predict the number of patterns required to fully cover the Fourier space. In this paper we provide formulae to estimate the number of expo- sures required to achieve a given coverage of Fourier space as a function of parti- cle size, resolution and shot noise.
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| 13. |
- Ekeberg, Tomas, 1983-
(author)
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Flash Diffractive Imaging in Three Dimensions
- 2012
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- During the last years we have seen the birth of free-electron lasers, a new type of light source ten billion times brighter than syncrotrons and able to produce pulses only a few femtoseconds long. One of the main motivations for building these multi-million dollar machines was the prospect of imaging biological samples such as proteins and viruses in 3D without the need for crystallization or staining. This thesis contains some of the first biological results from free-electron lasers.These results include 2D images, both of whole cells and of the giant mimivirus and also con- tains a 3D density map of the mimivirus assembled from diffraction patterns from many virus particles. These are important proof-of-concept experiments but they also mark the point where free-electron lasers start to produce biologically relevant results. The most noteworthy of these results is the unexpectedly non-uniform density distribution of the internals of the mimivirus.We also present Hawk, the only open-source software toolkit for analysing single particle diffraction data. The Uppsala-developed program suite supports a wide range fo algorithms and takes advantage of Graphics Processing Units which makes it very computationally efficient.Last, the problem introduced by structural variability in samples is discussed. This includes a description of the problem and how it can be overcome, and also how it could be turned into an advantage that allows us to image samples in all of their conformational states.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Ekeberg, Tomas, et al.
(author)
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Machine learning for ultrafast X-ray diffraction patterns on large-scale GPU clusters
- 2015
-
In: The international journal of high performance computing applications. - : SAGE Publications. - 1094-3420 .- 1741-2846. ; 29, s. 233-243
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The classical method of determining the atomic structure of complex molecules by analyzing diffraction patterns is currently undergoing drastic developments. Modern techniques for producing extremely bright and coherent X-ray lasers allow a beam of streaming particles to be intercepted and hit by an ultrashort high-energy X-ray beam. Through machine learning methods the data thus collected can be transformed into a three-dimensional volumetric intensity map of the particle itself. The computational complexity associated with this problem is very high such that clusters of data parallel accelerators are required. We have implemented a distributed and highly efficient algorithm for the inversion of large collections of diffraction patterns targeting clusters of hundreds of GPUs. With the expected enormous amount of diffraction data to be produced in the foreseeable future, this is the required scale to approach real-time processing of data at the beam site. Using both real and synthetic data we look at the scaling properties of the application and discuss the overall computational viability of this exciting and novel imaging technique.
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| 16. |
- Ekeberg, Tomas, 1983-, et al.
(author)
-
Observation of a single protein by ultrafast X-ray diffraction
- 2024
-
In: Light. - : Springer Nature. - 2095-5545 .- 2047-7538. ; 13:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The idea of using ultrashort X-ray pulses to obtain images of single proteins frozen in time has fascinated and inspired many. It was one of the arguments for building X-ray free-electron lasers. According to theory, the extremely intense pulses provide sufficient signal to dispense with using crystals as an amplifier, and the ultrashort pulse duration permits capturing the diffraction data before the sample inevitably explodes. This was first demonstrated on biological samples a decade ago on the giant mimivirus. Since then, a large collaboration has been pushing the limit of the smallest sample that can be imaged. The ability to capture snapshots on the timescale of atomic vibrations, while keeping the sample at room temperature, may allow probing the entire conformational phase space of macromolecules. Here we show the first observation of an X-ray diffraction pattern from a single protein, that of Escherichia coli GroEL which at 14 nm in diameter is the smallest biological sample ever imaged by X-rays, and demonstrate that the concept of diffraction before destruction extends to single proteins. From the pattern, it is possible to determine the approximate orientation of the protein. Our experiment demonstrates the feasibility of ultrafast imaging of single proteins, opening the way to single-molecule time-resolved studies on the femtosecond timescale.
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| 17. |
- Ekeberg, Tomas, et al.
(author)
-
Single-shot diffraction data from the Mimivirus particle using an X-ray free-electron laser
- 2016
-
In: Scientific Data. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2052-4463. ; 3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Free-electron lasers (FEL) hold the potential to revolutionize structural biology by producing X-ray pules short enough to outrun radiation damage, thus allowing imaging of biological samples without the limitation from radiation damage. Thus, a major part of the scientific case for the first FELs was three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of non-crystalline biological objects. In a recent publication we demonstrated the first 3D reconstruction of a biological object from an X-ray FEL using this technique. The sample was the giant Mimivirus, which is one of the largest known viruses with a diameter of 450 nm. Here we present the dataset used for this successful reconstruction. Data-analysis methods for single-particle imaging at FELs are undergoing heavy development but data collection relies on very limited time available through a highly competitive proposal process. This dataset provides experimental data to the entire community and could boost algorithm development and provide a benchmark dataset for new algorithms.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Ekeberg, Tomas, 1983-, et al.
(author)
-
Three-dimensional structure determination with an X-ray laser
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Three-dimensional structure determination of a non-crystalline virus has been achieved from a set of randomly oriented continuous diffraction patterns captured with an X-ray laser. Intense, ultra-short X-ray pulses intercepted a beam of single mimivirus particles, producing single particle X-ray diffraction patterns that are assembled into a three-dimensional amplitude distribution based on statistical consistency. Phases are directly retrieved from the assembled Fourier distribution to synthesize a three-dimensional image. The resulting electron density reveals a pseudo-icosahedral asymmetric virion structure with a compartmentalized interior, within which the DNA genome occupies only about a fifth of the volume enclosed by the capsid. Additional electron microscopy data indicate the genome has a chromatin-like fiber structure that has not previously been observed in a virus.
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| 20. |
- Gorkhover, Tais, et al.
(author)
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Femtosecond X-ray Fourier holography imaging of free-flying nanoparticles
- 2018
-
In: Nature Photonics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1749-4885 .- 1749-4893. ; 12:3, s. 150-153
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ultrafast X-ray imaging on individual fragile specimens such as aerosols 1 , metastable particles 2 , superfluid quantum systems 3 and live biospecimens 4 provides high-resolution information that is inaccessible with conventional imaging techniques. Coherent X-ray diffractive imaging, however, suffers from intrinsic loss of phase, and therefore structure recovery is often complicated and not always uniquely defined 4,5 . Here, we introduce the method of in-flight holography, where we use nanoclusters as reference X-ray scatterers to encode relative phase information into diffraction patterns of a virus. The resulting hologram contains an unambiguous three-dimensional map of a virus and two nanoclusters with the highest lateral resolution so far achieved via single shot X-ray holography. Our approach unlocks the benefits of holography for ultrafast X-ray imaging of nanoscale, non-periodic systems and paves the way to direct observation of complex electron dynamics down to the attosecond timescale.
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| 21. |
- Hantke, Max F., et al.
(author)
-
A data set from flash X-ray imaging of carboxysomes
- 2016
-
In: Scientific Data. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2052-4463. ; 3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ultra-intense femtosecond X-ray pulses from X-ray lasers permit structural studies on single particles and biomolecules without crystals. We present a large data set on inherently heterogeneous, polyhedral carboxysome particles. Carboxysomes are cell organelles that vary in size and facilitate up to 40% of Earth’s carbon fixation by cyanobacteria and certain proteobacteria. Variation in size hinders crystallization. Carboxysomes appear icosahedral in the electron microscope. A protein shell encapsulates a large number of Rubisco molecules in paracrystalline arrays inside the organelle. We used carboxysomes with a mean diameter of 115±26 nm from Halothiobacillus neapolitanus. A new aerosol sample-injector allowed us to record 70,000 low-noise diffraction patterns in 12 min. Every diffraction pattern is a unique structure measurement and high-throughput imaging allows sampling the space of structural variability. The different structures can be separated and phased directly from the diffraction data and open a way for accurate, high-throughput studies on structures and structural heterogeneity in biology and elsewhere.
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| 22. |
- Hantke, Max F., et al.
(author)
-
Condor : a simulation tool for flash X-ray imaging
- 2016
-
In: Journal of applied crystallography. - 0021-8898 .- 1600-5767. ; 49, s. 1356-1362
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Flash X-ray imaging has the potential to determine structures down to molecular resolution without the need for crystallization. The ability to accurately predict the diffraction signal and to identify the optimal experimental configuration within the limits of the instrument is important for successful data collection. This article introduces Condor, an open-source simulation tool to predict X-ray far-field scattering amplitudes of isolated particles for customized experimental designs and samples, which the user defines by an atomic or a refractive index model. The software enables researchers to test whether their envisaged imaging experiment is feasible, and to optimize critical parameters for reaching the best possible result. It also aims to support researchers who intend to create or advance reconstruction algorithms by simulating realistic test data. Condor is designed to be easy to use and can be either installed as a Python package or used from its web interface (http://lmb.icm.uu.se/condor). X-ray free-electron lasers have high running costs and beam time at these facilities is precious. Data quality can be substantially improved by using simulations to guide the experimental design and simplify data analysis.
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| 23. |
- Hantke, Max F., et al.
(author)
-
High-throughput imaging of heterogeneous cell organelles with an X-ray laser
- 2014
-
In: Nature Photonics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1749-4885 .- 1749-4893. ; 8:12, s. 943-949
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We overcome two of the most daunting challenges in single-particle diffractive imaging: collecting many high-quality diffraction patterns on a small amount of sample and separating components from mixed samples. We demonstrate this on carboxysomes, which are polyhedral cell organelles that vary in size and facilitate up to 40% of Earth's carbon fixation. A new aerosol sample-injector allowed us to record 70,000 low-noise diffraction patterns in 12 min with the Linac Coherent Light Source running at 120 Hz. We separate different structures directly from the diffraction data and show that the size distribution is preserved during sample delivery. We automate phase retrieval and avoid reconstruction artefacts caused by missing modes. We attain the highest-resolution reconstructions on the smallest single biological objects imaged with an X-ray laser to date. These advances lay the foundations for accurate, high-throughput structure determination by flash-diffractive imaging and offer a means to study structure and structural heterogeneity in biology and elsewhere.
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| 24. |
- Johansson, Linda C, 1983, et al.
(author)
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Lipidic phase membrane protein serial femtosecond crystallography.
- 2012
-
In: Nature methods. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1548-7105 .- 1548-7091. ; 9:3, s. 263-265
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- X-ray free electron laser (X-FEL)-based serial femtosecond crystallography is an emerging method with potential to rapidly advance the challenging field of membrane protein structural biology. Here we recorded interpretable diffraction data from micrometer-sized lipidic sponge phase crystals of the Blastochloris viridis photosynthetic reaction center delivered into an X-FEL beam using a sponge phase micro-jet.
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| 25. |
- Kamae, Tuneyoshi, et al.
(author)
-
PoGOLite - A high sensitivity balloon-borne soft gamma-ray polarimeter
- 2008
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In: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 30:2, s. 72-84
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We describe a new balloon-borne instrument (PoGOLite) capable of detecting 10% polarisation from 200 mCrab point-like sources between 25 and 80 keV in one 6-h flight. Polarisation measurements in the soft gamma-ray band are expected to provide a powerful probe into high energy emission mechanisms as well as the distribution of magnetic fields, radiation fields and interstellar matter. Synchrotron radiation, inverse Compton scattering and propagation through high magnetic fields are likely to produce high degrees of polarisation in the energy band of the instrument. We demonstrate, through tests at accelerators, with radioactive sources and through computer simulations, that PoGOLite will be able to detect degrees of polarisation as predicted by models for several classes of high energy sources. At present, only exploratory polarisation measurements have been carried out in the soft gamma-ray band. Reduction of the large background produced by cosmic-ray particles while securing a large effective area has been the greatest challenge. PoGOLite uses Compton scattering and photo-absorption in an array of 217 well-type phoswich detector cells made of plastic and BGO scintillators surrounded by a BGO anticoincidence shield and a thick polyethylene neutron shield. The narrow Held of view (FWHM = 1.25 msr, 2.0 deg x 2.0 deg) obtained with detector cells and the use of thick background shields warrant a large effective area for polarisation measurements (similar to 228 cm(2) at E = 40 keV) without sacrificing the signal-to-noise ratio. Simulation studies for an atmospheric overburden of 3-4 g/cm(2) indicate that neutrons and gamma-rays entering the PDC assembly through the shields are dominant backgrounds. Off-line event selection based on recorded phototube waveforms and Compton kinematics reduce the background to that expected for a similar to 100 mCrab source between 25 and 50 keV. A 6-h observation of the Crab pulsar will differentiate between the Polar Cap/Slot Gap, Outer Gap, and Caustic models with greater than 5 sigma significance; and also cleanly identify the Compton reflection component in the Cygnus X-1 hard state. Long-duration flights will measure the dependence of the polarisation across the cyclotron absorption line in Hercules X-1. A scaled-down instrument will be flown as a pathfinder mission from the north of Sweden in 2010. The first science flight is planned to take place shortly thereafter.
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| 26. |
- Konold, Patrick E., et al.
(author)
-
3D-printed sheet jet for stable megahertz liquid sample delivery at X-ray free-electron lasers
- 2023
-
In: IUCrJ. - : International Union Of Crystallography. - 2052-2525. ; 10, s. 662-670
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) can probe chemical and biological reactions as they unfold with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. A principal challenge in this pursuit involves the delivery of samples to the X-ray interaction point in such a way that produces data of the highest possible quality and with maximal efficiency. This is hampered by intrinsic constraints posed by the light source and operation within a beamline environment. For liquid samples, the solution typically involves some form of high-speed liquid jet, capable of keeping up with the rate of X-ray pulses. However, conventional jets are not ideal because of radiation-induced explosions of the jet, as well as their cylindrical geometry combined with the X-ray pointing instability of many beamlines which causes the interaction volume to differ for every pulse. This complicates data analysis and contributes to measurement errors. An alternative geometry is a liquid sheet jet which, with its constant thickness over large areas, eliminates the problems related to X-ray pointing. Since liquid sheets can be made very thin, the radiation-induced explosion is reduced, boosting their stability. These are especially attractive for experiments which benefit from small interaction volumes such as fluctuation X-ray scattering and several types of spectroscopy. Although their use has increased for soft X-ray applications in recent years, there has not yet been wide-scale adoption at XFELs. Here, gas-accelerated liquid sheet jet sample injection is demonstrated at the European XFEL SPB/SFX nano focus beamline. Its performance relative to a conventional liquid jet is evaluated and superior performance across several key factors has been found. This includes a thickness profile ranging from hundreds of nanometres to 60 nm, a fourfold increase in background stability and favorable radiation-induced explosion dynamics at high repetition rates up to 1.13 MHz. Its minute thickness also suggests that ultrafast single-particle solution scattering is a possibility.
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| 27. |
- Koopmann, Rudolf, et al.
(author)
-
In vivo protein crystallization opens new routes in structural biology
- 2012
-
In: Nature Methods. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1548-7091 .- 1548-7105. ; 9:3, s. 259-262
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Protein crystallization in cells has been observed several times in nature. However, owing to their small size these crystals have not yet been used for X-ray crystallographic analysis. We prepared nano-sized in vivo–grown crystals of Trypanosoma brucei enzymes and applied the emerging method of free-electron laser-based serial femtosecond crystallography to record interpretable diffraction data. This combined approach will open new opportunities in structural systems biology.
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| 28. |
- Loh, N. D., et al.
(author)
-
Cryptotomography : Reconstructing 3D Fourier Intensities from Randomly Oriented Single-Shot Diffraction Patterns
- 2010
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 104:22, s. 225501-1-225501-5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We reconstructed the 3D Fourier intensity distribution of monodisperse prolate nanoparticles using single-shot 2D coherent diffraction patterns collected at DESY's FLASH facility when a bright, coherent, ultrafast x-ray pulse intercepted individual particles of random, unmeasured orientations. This first experimental demonstration of cryptotomography extended the expansion-maximization-compression framework to accommodate unmeasured fluctuations in photon fluence and loss of data due to saturation or background scatter. This work is an important step towards realizing single-shot diffraction imaging of single biomolecules.
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| 29. |
- Loh, N. D., et al.
(author)
-
Fractal morphology, imaging and mass spectrometry of single aerosol particles in flight
- 2012
-
In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 486:7404, s. 513-517
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The morphology of micrometre-size particulate matter is of critical importance in fields ranging from toxicology(1) to climate science(2), yet these properties are surprisingly difficult to measure in the particles' native environment. Electron microscopy requires collection of particles on a substrate(3); visible light scattering provides insufficient resolution(4); and X-ray synchrotron studies have been limited to ensembles of particles(5). Here we demonstrate an in situ method for imaging individual sub-micrometre particles to nanometre resolution in their native environment, using intense, coherent X-ray pulses from the Linac Coherent Light Source(6) free-electron laser. We introduced individual aerosol particles into the pulsed X-ray beam, which is sufficiently intense that diffraction from individual particles can be measured for morphological analysis. At the same time, ion fragments ejected from the beam were analysed using mass spectrometry, to determine the composition of single aerosol particles. Our results show the extent of internal dilation symmetry of individual soot particles subject to non-equilibrium aggregation, and the surprisingly large variability in their fractal dimensions. More broadly, our methods can be extended to resolve both static and dynamic morphology of general ensembles of disordered particles. Such general morphology has implications in topics such as solvent accessibilities in proteins(7), vibrational energy transfer by the hydrodynamic interaction of amino acids(8), and large-scale production of nanoscale structures by flame synthesis(9).
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| 30. |
- Loh, N. Duane, et al.
(author)
-
Sensing the wavefront of x-ray free-electron lasers using aerosol spheres
- 2013
-
In: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 21:10, s. 12385-12394
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Characterizing intense, focused x-ray free electron laser (FEL) pulses is crucial for their use in diffractive imaging. We describe how the distribution of average phase tilts and intensities on hard x-ray pulses with peak intensities of 1021 W/m(2) can be retrieved from an ensemble of diffraction patterns produced by 70 nm-radius polystyrene spheres, in a manner that mimics wavefront sensors. Besides showing that an adaptive geometric correction may be necessary for diffraction data from randomly injected sample sources, our paper demonstrates the possibility of collecting statistics on structured pulses using only the diffraction patterns they generate and highlights the imperative to study its impact on single-particle diffractive imaging.
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| 31. |
- Lomb, Lukas, et al.
(author)
-
Radiation damage in protein serial femtosecond crystallography using an x-ray free-electron laser
- 2011
-
In: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - 1098-0121 .- 1550-235X. ; 84:21, s. 214111-1-214111-6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- X-ray free-electron lasers deliver intense femtosecond pulses that promise to yield high resolution diffraction data of nanocrystals before the destruction of the sample by radiation damage. Diffraction intensities of lysozyme nanocrystals collected at the Linac Coherent Light Source using 2 keV photons were used for structure determination by molecular replacement and analyzed for radiation damage as a function of pulse length and fluence. Signatures of radiation damage are observed for pulses as short as 70 fs. Parametric scaling used in conventional crystallography does not account for the observed effects.
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| 32. |
- Lundholm, Ida V., et al.
(author)
-
Considerations for three-dimensional image reconstruction from experimental data in coherent diffractive imaging
- 2018
-
In: IUCrJ. - : International Union of Crystallography. - 2052-2525. ; 5, s. 531-541
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Diffraction before destruction using X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has the potential to determine radiation-damage-free structures without the need for crystallization. This article presents the three-dimensional reconstruction of the Melbournevirus from single-particle X-ray diffraction patterns collected at the LINAC Coherent Light Source (LCLS) as well as reconstructions from simulated data exploring the consequences of different kinds of experimental sources of noise. The reconstruction from experimental data suffers from a strong artifact in the center of the particle. This could be reproduced with simulated data by adding experimental background to the diffraction patterns. In those simulations, the relative density of the artifact increases linearly with background strength. This suggests that the artifact originates from the Fourier transform of the relatively flat background, concentrating all power in a central feature of limited extent. We support these findings by significantly reducing the artifact through background removal before the phase-retrieval step. Large amounts of blurring in the diffraction patterns were also found to introduce diffuse artifacts, which could easily be mistaken as biologically relevant features. Other sources of noise such as sample heterogeneity and variation of pulse energy did not significantly degrade the quality of the reconstructions. Larger data volumes, made possible by the recent inauguration of high repetition-rate XFELs, allow for increased signal-to-background ratio and provide a way to minimize these artifacts. The anticipated development of three-dimensional Fourier-volume-assembly algorithms which are background aware is an alternative and complementary solution, which maximizes the use of data.
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| 33. |
- Maia, Filipe R. N. C., et al.
(author)
-
Hawk : the image reconstruction package for coherent X-ray diffractive imaging
- 2010
-
In: Journal of applied crystallography. - 0021-8898 .- 1600-5767. ; 43:6, s. 1535-1539
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The past few years have seen a tremendous growth in the field of coherent X-ray diffractive imaging, in large part due to X-ray free-electron lasers which provide a peak brilliance billions of times higher than that of synchrotrons. However, this rapid development in terms of hardware has not been matched on the software side. The release of Hawk is intended to close this gap. To the authors knowledge Hawk is the first publicly available and fully open source software program for reconstructing images from continuous diffraction patterns. The software handles all steps leading from a raw diffraction pattern to a reconstructed two-dimensional image including geometry determination, background correction, masking and phasing. It also includes preliminary three-dimensional support and support for graphics processing units using the Compute Unified Device Architecture, which speeds up processing by orders of magnitude compared to a single central processing unit. Hawk implements numerous algorithms and is easily extended. This, in combination with its open-source licence, provides a platform for other groups to test, develop and distribute their own algorithms.
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| 34. |
- Maia, Filipe R. N. C., et al.
(author)
-
Structural variability and the incoherent addition of scattered intensities in single-particle diffraction
- 2009
-
In: Physical Review E. Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics. - 1063-651X .- 1095-3787. ; 80:3, s. 031905-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- X-ray lasers may allow structural studies on single particles and biomolecules without crystalline periodicity in the samples. We examine here the effect of sample dynamics as a source of structural heterogeneity on the resolution of the reconstructed image of a small protein molecule. Structures from molecular-dynamics simulations of lysozyme were sampled and aligned. These structures were then used to calculate diffraction patterns corresponding to different dynamic states. The patterns were incoherently summed and the resulting data set was phased using the oversampling method. Reconstructed images of hydrated and dehydrated lysozyme gave resolutions of 3.7 angstrom and 7.6 angstrom, respectively. These are significantly worse than the root-mean-square deviation of the hydrated (2.7 angstrom for all atoms and 1.45 angstrom for C-alpha positions) or dehydrated (3.7 angstrom for all atoms and 2.5 angstrom for C-alpha positions) structures. The noise introduced by structural dynamics and incoherent addition of dissimilar structures restricts the maximum resolution to be expected from direct image reconstruction of dynamic systems. A way of potentially reducing this effect is by grouping dynamic structures into distinct structural substates and solving them separately.
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| 35. |
- Marklund, Erik, 1979-, et al.
(author)
-
Controlling Protein Orientation in Vacuum Using Electric Fields
- 2017
-
In: The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1948-7185. ; 8:18, s. 4540-4544
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Single-particle imaging using X-ray free-electron lasers is an emerging technique that could provide high-resolution structures of macromolecules in the gas phase. One of the largest difficulties in realizing this goal is the unknown orientation of the individual sample molecules at the time of exposure. Preorientation of the molecules has been identified as a possible solution to this problem. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we identify a range of electric field strengths where proteins become oriented without losing their structure. For a number of experimentally relevant cases we show that structure determination is possible only when orientation information is included in the orientation-recovery process. We conclude that nondestructive field orientation of intact proteins is feasible and that it enables a range of new structural investigations with single particle imaging.
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| 36. |
- Martin, A. V., et al.
(author)
-
Noise-robust coherent diffractive imaging with a single diffraction pattern
- 2012
-
In: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 20:15, s. 16650-16661
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The resolution of single-shot coherent diffractive imaging at X-ray free-electron laser facilities is limited by the low signal-to-noise level of diffraction data at high scattering angles. The iterative reconstruction methods, which phase a continuous diffraction pattern to produce an image, must be able to extract information from these weak signals to obtain the best quality images. Here we show how to modify iterative reconstruction methods to improve tolerance to noise. The method is demonstrated with the hybrid input-output method on both simulated data and single-shot diffraction patterns taken at the Linac Coherent Light Source. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America
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| 37. |
- Martin, A. V., et al.
(author)
-
The extraction of single-particle diffraction patterns from a multiple-particle diffraction pattern
- 2013
-
In: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 21:13, s. 15102-15112
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The structures of biological molecules may soon be determined with X-ray free-electron lasers without crystallization by recording the coherent diffraction patterns of many identical copies of a molecule. Most analysis methods require a measurement of each molecule individually. However, current injection methods deliver particles to the X-ray beam stochastically and the maximum yield of single particle measurements is 37% at optimal concentration. The remaining 63% of pulses intercept no particles or multiple particles. We demonstrate that in the latter case single particle diffraction patterns can be extracted provided the particles are sufficiently separated. The technique has the potential to greatly increase the amount of data available for three-dimensional imaging of identical particles with X-ray lasers.
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| 38. |
- Morgan, Andrew J., et al.
(author)
-
Ab initio phasing of the diffraction of crystals with translational disorder
- 2019
-
In: Acta Crystallographica Section A. - : INT UNION CRYSTALLOGRAPHY. - 2053-2733. ; 75, s. 25-40
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To date X-ray protein crystallography is the most successful technique available for the determination of high-resolution 3D structures of biological molecules and their complexes. In X-ray protein crystallography the structure of a protein is refined against the set of observed Bragg reflections from a protein crystal. The resolution of the refined protein structure is limited by the highest angle at which Bragg reflections can be observed. In addition, the Bragg reflections alone are typically insufficient (by a factor of two) to determine the structure ab initio, and so prior information is required. Crystals formed from an imperfect packing of the protein molecules may also exhibit continuous diffraction between and beyond these Bragg reflections. When this is due to random displacements of the molecules from each crystal lattice site, the continuous diffraction provides the necessary information to determine the protein structure without prior knowledge, to a resolution that is not limited by the angular extent of the observed Bragg reflections but instead by that of the diffraction as a whole. This article presents an iterative projection algorithm that simultaneously uses the continuous diffraction as well as the Bragg reflections for the determination of protein structures. The viability of this method is demonstrated on simulated crystal diffraction.
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| 39. |
- Munke, Anna, et al.
(author)
-
Coherent diffraction of single Rice Dwarf Virus particles using soft X-rays at the Linac Coherent Light Source
- 2018
-
In: Nature Scientific Data.
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Single particle imaging using X-ray Free Electron Lasers has recently made major advancements that have facilitated experiments on smaller samples compared to the earliest reported works on giant viruses and cells. Here, the technique was used to image the 70 nm Rice dwarf virus, for which the generated dataset is described here. The virus particles were aerosolized and injected into the X-ray beam of the Linac Coherent Light Source. A total number of 36534 diffraction patterns were recorded, of which approximately 10 % were classified as ‘single hits’ by the RedFlamingo software. With the anticipation to advance method development, the dataset along with usage instructions are deposited in the Coherent X-ray imaging data bank, free to access and analyze.
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| 40. |
- Park, Hyung Joo, et al.
(author)
-
Toward unsupervised single-shot diffractive imaging of heterogeneous particles using X-ray free-electron lasers
- 2013
-
In: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 21:23, s. 28729-28742
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Single shot diffraction imaging experiments via X-ray free-electron lasers can generate as many as hundreds of thousands of diffraction patterns of scattering objects. Recovering the real space contrast of a scattering object from these patterns currently requires a reconstruction process with user guidance in a number of steps, introducing severe bottlenecks in data processing. We present a series of measures that replace user guidance with algorithms that reconstruct contrasts in an unsupervised fashion. We demonstrate the feasibility of automating the reconstruction process by generating hundreds of contrasts obtained from soot particle diffraction experiments.
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| 41. |
- Pedersoli, E., et al.
(author)
-
Mesoscale morphology of airborne core-shell nanoparticle clusters : x-ray laser coherent diffraction imaging
- 2013
-
In: Journal of Physics B. - : IOP Publishing. - 0953-4075 .- 1361-6455. ; 46:16 SI, s. 164033-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Unraveling the complex morphology of functional materials like core-shell nanoparticles and its evolution in different environments is still a challenge. Only recently has the single-particle coherent diffraction imaging (CDI), enabled by the ultrabright femtosecond free-electron laser pulses, provided breakthroughs in understanding mesoscopic morphology of nanoparticulate matter. Here, we report the first CDI results for Co@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles randomly clustered in large airborne aggregates, obtained using the x-ray free-electron laser at the Linac Coherent Light Source. Our experimental results compare favourably with simulated diffraction patterns for clustered Co@SiO2 nanoparticles with similar to 10 nm core diameter and similar to 30 nm shell outer diameter, which confirms the ability to resolve the mesoscale morphology of complex metastable structures. The findings in this first morphological study of core-shell nanomaterials are a solid base for future time-resolved studies of dynamic phenomena in complex nanoparticulate matter using x-ray lasers.
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| 42. |
- Rath, Asawari D., et al.
(author)
-
Explosion dynamics of sucrose nanospheres monitored by time of flight spectrometry and coherent diffractive imaging at the split-and-delay beam line of the FLASH soft X-ray laser
- 2014
-
In: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 22:23, s. 28914-28925
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We use a Mach-Zehnder type autocorrelator to split and delay XUV pulses from the FLASH soft X-ray laser for triggering and subsequently probing the explosion of aerosolised sugar balls. FLASH was running at 182 eV photon energy with pulses of 70 fs duration. The delay between the pump-probe pulses was varied between zero and 5 ps, and the pulses were focused to reach peak intensities above 1016 W/cm2 with an off-axis parabola. The direct pulse triggered the explosion of single aerosolised sucrose nano-particles, while the delayed pulse probed the exploding structure. The ejected ions were measured by ion time of flight spectrometry, and the particle sizes were measured by coherent diffractive imaging. The results show that sucrose particles of 560-1000 nm diameter retain their size for about 500 fs following the first exposure. Significant sample expansion happens between 500 fs and 1 ps. We present simulations to support these observations.
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| 43. |
- Reddy, Hemanth K. N., et al.
(author)
-
Coherent soft X-ray diffraction imaging of coliphage PR772 at the Linac coherent light source
- 2017
-
In: Scientia Danica. Series H. Humanistica 4. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1904-5506 .- 2052-4463. ; 4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Single-particle diffraction from X-ray Free Electron Lasers offers the potential for molecular structure determination without the need for crystallization. In an effort to further develop the technique, we present a dataset of coherent soft X-ray diffraction images of Coliphage PR772 virus, collected at the Atomic Molecular Optics (AMO) beamline with pnCCD detectors in the LAMP instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source. The diameter of PR772 ranges from 65-70 nm, which is considerably smaller than the previously reported similar to 600 nm diameter Mimivirus. This reflects continued progress in XFEL-based single-particle imaging towards the single molecular imaging regime. The data set contains significantly more single particle hits than collected in previous experiments, enabling the development of improved statistical analysis, reconstruction algorithms, and quantitative metrics to determine resolution and self-consistency.
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| 44. |
- Sala, S., et al.
(author)
-
Ptychographic imaging for the characterization of X-ray free-electron laser beams
- 2017
-
In: X-RAY MICROSCOPY CONFERENCE 2016 (XRM 2016). - : IOP Publishing.
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present some preliminary results from a study aimed at the characterization of the wavefront of X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) beams in the same operation conditions as for single particle imaging (or flash X-ray imaging) experiments. The varying illumination produced by wavefront fluctuations between several pulses leads to a partially coherent average beam which can be decomposed into several coherent modes using ptychographic reconstruction algorithms. Such a decomposition can give insight into pulse-to-pulse variations of the wavefront. We discuss data collected at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) and FERMI.
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| 45. |
- Seibert, M. Marvin, et al.
(author)
-
Femtosecond diffractive imaging of biological cells
- 2010
-
In: Journal of Physics B. - : IOP Publishing. - 0953-4075 .- 1361-6455. ; 43:19, s. 194015-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In a flash diffraction experiment, a short and extremely intense x-ray pulse illuminates the sample to obtain a diffraction pattern before the onset of significant radiation damage. The over-sampled diffraction pattern permits phase retrieval by iterative phasing methods. Flash diffractive imaging was first demonstrated on an inorganic test object (Chapman et al 2006 Nat. Phys. 2 839-43). We report here experiments on biological systems where individual cells were imaged, using single, 10-15 fs soft x-ray pulses at 13.5 nm wavelength from the FLASH free-electron laser in Hamburg. Simulations show that the pulse heated the sample to about 160 000 K but not before an interpretable diffraction pattern could be obtained. The reconstructed projection images return the structures of the intact cells. The simulations suggest that the average displacement of ions and atoms in the hottest surface layers remained below 3 angstrom during the pulse.
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| 46. |
- Seibert, M. Marvin, et al.
(author)
-
Single mimivirus particles intercepted and imaged with an X-ray laser
- 2011
-
In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 470:7332, s. 78-81
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- X-ray lasers offer new capabilities in understanding the structure of biological systems, complex materials and matter under extreme conditions(1-4). Very short and extremely bright, coherent X-ray pulses can be used to outrun key damage processes and obtain a single diffraction pattern from a large macromolecule, a virus or a cell before the sample explodes and turns into plasma(1). The continuous diffraction pattern of non-crystalline objects permits oversampling and direct phase retrieval(2). Here we show that high-quality diffraction data can be obtained with a single X-ray pulse from a noncrystalline biological sample, a single mimivirus particle, which was injected into the pulsed beam of a hard-X-ray free-electron laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source(5). Calculations indicate that the energy deposited into the virus by the pulse heated the particle to over 100,000 K after the pulse had left the sample. The reconstructed exit wavefront (image) yielded 32-nm full-period resolution in a single exposure and showed no measurable damage. The reconstruction indicates inhomogeneous arrangement of dense material inside the virion. We expect that significantly higher resolutions will be achieved in such experiments with shorter and brighter photon pulses focused to a smaller area. The resolution in such experiments can be further extended for samples available in multiple identical copies.
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| 47. |
- Sobolev, Egor, et al.
(author)
-
Megahertz single-particle imaging at the European XFEL
- 2020
-
In: Communications Physics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3650. ; 3:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The emergence of high repetition-rate X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) powered by superconducting accelerator technology enables the measurement of significantly more experimental data per day than was previously possible. The European XFEL is expected to provide 27,000 pulses per second, over two orders of magnitude more than any other XFEL. The increased pulse rate is a key enabling factor for single-particle X-ray diffractive imaging, which relies on averaging the weak diffraction signal from single biological particles. Taking full advantage of this new capability requires that all experimental steps, from sample preparation and delivery to the acquisition of diffraction patterns, are compatible with the increased pulse repetition rate. Here, we show that single-particle imaging can be performed using X-ray pulses at megahertz repetition rates. The results obtained pave the way towards exploiting high repetition-rate X-ray free-electron lasers for single-particle imaging at their full repetition rate.
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| 48. |
- van der Schot, Gijs, 1984-
(author)
-
Imaging Living Cells with an X-ray Laser
- 2018
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Imaging living cells at a resolution higher than the resolution of optical microscopy is a significant challenge. Fluorescence microscopy can achieve a degree of super-resolution via labeling cellular components with a fluorescent dye. Reaching nanometer or sub-nanometer resolution requires high-energy radiation with significantly shorter wavelength than that of optical light. X-rays and electrons have the requisite wavelengths and could be suitable for such studies; however, these probes also cause significant radiation damage. A dose in excess of 100,000,000 Gray (Gy, J/kg) would be required to reach nanometer resolution on a cell, and no cell can survive this amount of radiation. As a consequence, much of what we know about cells at high resolution today comes from dead material.Theory predicts that an ultra-short and extremely bright coherent X-ray pulse from an X-ray free-electron laser can outrun key damage processes to deliver a molecular-level snapshot of a cell that is alive at the time of image formation. The principle of ‘diffraction before destruction’ exploits the difference between the speed of light (the X-ray pulse) and the much slower speed of damage formation. The femtosecond pulse ‘freezes’ motion in the cell at physiological temperatures on the time scale of atomic vibrations, offering unprecedented time resolution and a plethora of new experimental possibilities.This thesis describes the first test experiments on imaging living cells with an X-ray laser. I present results in three essential areas of live cell imaging. (i) We have used an aerosol injector to introduce live cyanobacteria into the X-ray focus, and recorded diffraction patterns with extremely low background at very high hit rates. (ii) We demonstrated scattered signal beyond 4 nm resolution in some of these experiments. (iii) The thesis also describes image reconstruction, using a new fully automated pipeline that I developed during my studies. The reconstruction of diffraction patterns was successful for all patterns that did not have saturated pixels. The new software suite, called RedFlamingo, selects exposures with desired properties, can sort them according to sample size, shape, orientation, exposure, the number and type of objects in the beam during the exposure, their distance from each other, and so forth. The software includes validation tools to assess the quality of the reconstructions.
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| 49. |
- van der Schot, Gijs, et al.
(author)
-
Imaging single cells in a beam of live cyanobacteria with an X-ray laser
- 2015
-
In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There exists a conspicuous gap of knowledge about the organization of life at mesoscopic levels. Ultra-fast coherent diffractive imaging with X-ray free-electron lasers can probe structures at the relevant length scales and may reach sub-nanometer resolution on micron-sized living cells. Here we show that we can introduce a beam of aerosolised cyanobacteria into the focus of the Linac Coherent Light Source and record diffraction patterns from individual living cells at very low noise levels and at high hit ratios. We obtain two-dimensional projection images directly from the diffraction patterns, and present the results as synthetic X-ray Nomarski images calculated from the complex-valued reconstructions. We further demonstrate that it is possible to record diffraction data to nanometer resolution on live cells with X-ray lasers. Extension to sub-nanometer resolution is within reach, although improvements in pulse parameters and X-ray area detectors will be necessary to unlock this potential.
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| 50. |
- van der Schot, Gijs, et al.
(author)
-
Open data set of live cyanobacterial cells imaged using an X-ray laser
- 2016
-
In: Scientific Data. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2052-4463. ; 3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Structural studies on living cells by conventional methods are limited to low resolution because radiation damage kills cells long before the necessary dose for high resolution can be delivered. X-ray free-electron lasers circumvent this problem by outrunning key damage processes with an ultra-short and extremely bright coherent X-ray pulse. Diffraction-before-destruction experiments provide high-resolution data from cells that are alive when the femtosecond X-ray pulse traverses the sample. This paper presents two data sets from micron-sized cyanobacteria obtained at the Linac Coherent Light Source, containing a total of 199,000 diffraction patterns. Utilizing this type of diffraction data will require the development of new analysis methods and algorithms for studying structure and structural variability in large populations of cells and to create abstract models. Such studies will allow us to understand living cells and populations of cells in new ways. New X-ray lasers, like the European XFEL, will produce billions of pulses per day, and could open new areas in structural sciences.
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