Coherent X-ray Diffraction Imaging of Non-Crystalline Particles using X-ray Free Electron Laser

Abstract

Coherent X-ray diffraction imaging（CXDI）is a lens-less imaging technique that can visualize the structures of non-crystalline particles with micro- to sub-micrometer dimensions. In CXDI experiments, spatially isolated particles are irradiated by X-ray beam with high transverse coherence. Projection images of the particles along the incident X-ray direction are then directly reconstructed from the diffraction amplitude using a phase retrieval algorithm. Here we report CXDI experiments carried out at the X-ray free electron laser（XFEL）facility SACLA, and describe the theoretical background of CXDI, development of a diffractometer and data processing.