Advances in X-ray Optics for High-Resolution Imaging

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 2565

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Advanced Science Facilities, 268 Zhenyuan St., Guangming District, Shenzhen 518107, China
Interests: X-ray free electron laser; X-ray phase-contrast imaging; X-ray microscopy; coherent diffraction imaging; ptychography; wavefront sensing

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Yuehai Campus, 3688 Nanhai Avenue, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: X-ray phase-contrast imaging; X-ray detectors; X-ray and neutron grating technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past one hundred years, X-ray optics has made great progress and has been widely used in the fields of biology, medical diagnosis, materials science, energy, astronomy, nondestructive testing, etc. X-rays, as an effective tool and messenger, have greatly improved the level of people's understanding of nature and the universe. High-resolution X-ray imaging has long been a focus of attention and has become an indispensable tool in investigating the intricacies of the objects at the micro- and nanoscales in various fields. With the advent of new X-ray light sources, high-precision X-ray optics, high-resolution detection technologies, and advanced imaging methods, imaging resolutions are gradually improving. Advanced radiation facilities, such as those using a synchrotron radiation source and X-ray free electron laser, can be used for advanced imaging techniques like X-ray crystallography, coherent diffraction imaging, and X-ray spectroscopy, and achieve extremely high spatial resolutions down to the nanometer or even sub-nanometer scales and high temporal resolution ranging from nanoseconds to attoseconds. X-ray astronomy with high spatial/temporal/energy resolutions significantly advances the study of extreme astrophysical phenomena, which is critical to improving our understanding of the X-ray universe. Ongoing research in X-ray detector technology, including the use of advanced materials and digital sensors, continues to improve the resolution and sensitivity of X-ray imaging systems. In the future, continued research and technological progress will continue to break through the boundaries of resolution imaging capabilities.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue “Advances in X-ray Optics for High-Resolution Imaging” for the journal Photonics. This Special Issue aims to present recent advances in X-ray optics for high-resolution imaging.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Advanced high-resolution X-ray imaging;
  • X-ray optics and components;
  • Advances in detector technology;
  • Applications of X-ray high-resolution imaging;
  • Micro-computed tomography;
  • X-ray polarimetric/phase imaging;
  • X-ray microscopy/fluoroscopy/spectroscopy;
  • Synchrotron radiation and X-ray free electron laser methodology;
  • X-ray astronomy;
  • EUV/neutron imaging.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Yang Du
Dr. Yaohu Lei
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • X-ray imaging
  • X-ray optics
  • high resolution
  • detectors
  • microscopy
  • fluoroscopy
  • spectroscopy
  • ultrafast
  • X-ray astronomy
  • EUV/neutron imaging

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

12 pages, 1342 KiB  
Article
Diffraction Losses in a Stack of Diamond X-Ray Lenses
by Nataliya Klimova and Anatoly Snigirev
Photonics 2024, 11(12), 1097; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11121097 - 21 Nov 2024
Viewed by 485
Abstract
Compound refractive lenses, crafted from single-crystal materials like diamond and silicon, are increasingly favored, particularly in cutting-edge facilities, such as free electron lasers and fourth-generation synchrotrons. These lenses are prized for their low parasitic scattering and resistance to significant radiation doses over extended [...] Read more.
Compound refractive lenses, crafted from single-crystal materials like diamond and silicon, are increasingly favored, particularly in cutting-edge facilities, such as free electron lasers and fourth-generation synchrotrons. These lenses are prized for their low parasitic scattering and resistance to significant radiation doses over extended periods. However, they do encounter a notable drawback known as the “glitch effect”, wherein undesired diffraction can occur across various X-ray energies. This phenomenon leads to a decrease in transmitted intensity, impacting experiments, particularly in spectroscopy. Typically, a series of lenses is employed to achieve optimal beam parameters, and each lens has its own spectrum of glitches. This paper presents experimentally measured glitches in stacks of 1, 4, 8, and 16 diamond compound refractive lenses, elucidating the theory behind glitch formation and offering strategies to predict and mitigate glitches in diverse focusing systems employing lenses made from single-crystal materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in X-ray Optics for High-Resolution Imaging)
Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 3250 KiB  
Article
Towards Construction of a Novel Nanometer-Resolution MeV-STEM for Imaging Thick Frozen Biological Samples
by Xi Yang, Liguo Wang, Jared Maxson, Adam Christopher Bartnik, Michael Kaemingk, Weishi Wan, Luca Cultrera, Lijun Wu, Victor Smaluk, Timur Shaftan, Sean McSweeney, Chunguang Jing, Roman Kostin and Yimei Zhu
Photonics 2024, 11(3), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11030252 - 11 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1603
Abstract
Driven by life-science applications, a mega-electron-volt Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (MeV-STEM) has been proposed here to image thick frozen biological samples as a conventional Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) may not be suitable to image samples thicker than 300–500 nm and various volume electron [...] Read more.
Driven by life-science applications, a mega-electron-volt Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (MeV-STEM) has been proposed here to image thick frozen biological samples as a conventional Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) may not be suitable to image samples thicker than 300–500 nm and various volume electron microscopy (EM) techniques either suffering from low resolution, or low speed. The high penetration of inelastic scattering signals of MeV electrons could make the MeV-STEM an appropriate microscope for biological samples as thick as 10 μm or more with a nanoscale resolution, considering the effect of electron energy, beam broadening, and low-dose limit on resolution. The best resolution is inversely related to the sample thickness and changes from 6 nm to 24 nm when the sample thickness increases from 1 μm to 10 μm. To achieve such a resolution in STEM, the imaging electrons must be focused on the specimen with a nm size and an mrad semi-convergence angle. This requires an electron beam emittance of a few picometers, which is ~1000 times smaller than the presently achieved nm emittance, in conjunction with less than 10−4 energy spread and 1 nA current. We numerically simulated two different approaches that are potentially applicable to build a compact MeV-STEM instrument: (1) DC (Direct Current) gun, aperture, superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities, and STEM column; (2) SRF gun, aperture, SRF cavities, and STEM column. Beam dynamic simulations show promising results, which meet the needs of an MeV-STEM, a few-picometer emittance, less than 10−4 energy spread, and 0.1–1 nA current from both options. Also, we designed a compact STEM column based on permanent quadrupole quintuplet, not only to demagnify the beam size from 1 μm at the source point to 2 nm at the specimen but also to provide the freedom of changing the magnifications at the specimen and a scanning system to raster the electron beam across the sample with a step size of 2 nm and the repetition rate of 1 MHz. This makes it possible to build a compact MeV-STEM and use it to study thick, large-volume samples in cell biology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in X-ray Optics for High-Resolution Imaging)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Using Diamond X-ray Lenses: Be Aware of the Glitches
Authors: Natali Klimova; Yefanov, Oleksandr
Affiliation: International Science and Research Center “Coherent X-ray Optics for Megascience Facilities”, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236022 Kaliningrad, Russia
Abstract: Compound refractive lenses (CRLs), crafted from single crystal materials like diamond and silicon, are increasingly favored, particularly in cutting-edge facilities such as Free Electron Lasers and fourth-generation synchrotrons. Renowned for their minimal background noise, high reproducibility, and resilience to substantial radiation doses over prolonged periods, these lenses offer remarkable advantages. However, they do encounter a notable drawback known as the "glitch effect," wherein undesired diffraction can occur across various X-ray energies. This phenomenon leads to a decrease in transmitted intensity, impacting experiments, particularly in spectroscopy, and posing a risk to expensive experimental apparatus if diffraction interferes with critical components. Typically, a series of CRLs is employed to achieve optimal beam parameters. The glitch effect manifests differently between sets of individual lenses and those manufactured within a single substrate. This paper presents experimentally measured glitches in both scenarios, elucidating the theory behind glitch formation and offering strategies to predict and mitigate glitches in diverse focusing systems employing CRLs made from single crystal materials.

Back to TopTop