Compact water-window x-ray microscopy with a droplet laser-plasma source

Abstract

We summarize the development of the Stockholm compact water-window x-ray microscope (CXM-1) and show the first image of a biological object. The microscope is based on a liquid-droplet laser-plasma source, which is combined with normal-incidence water-window condenser optics for the object illumination. High-resolution imaging is performed with zone-plate optics and CCD detection. We demonstrate sub-100-nm resolution imaging with good signal-to-noise ratio and exposure times of minutes for dry diatoms and fixed cells.