Biological applications of cryo-soft X-ray tomography

Abstract

X-rays are used for imaging many different types of biological specimen, ranging from live organisms to the individual cells and proteins from which they are made. The level of detail achieved as a result of the imaging varies depending on both the sample and the technique used. One of the most recent technical developments in X-ray imaging is that of the soft X-ray microscope, designed to allow the internal structure of individual biological cells to be explored. With a field of view of ∼10-20 × ∼10-20 μm, a penetration depth of ∼10 μm and a resolution of ∼40 nm(3), the soft X-ray microscope neatly fits between the imaging capabilities of light and electron microscopes.