Revolutionizing X-Ray Imaging with Interferometry

Researchers at the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) have successfully demonstrated a novel x-ray imaging technique based on Hanbury Brown and Twiss interferometry, which can be used to image the structure of emitters on a copper film. The technique could eventually enable single-particle imaging of biomolecules and catalysts at the atomic scale, and, with sufficient time resolution, characterization of their reaction dynamics. The development of x-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has helped in this regard by making possible the generation of high-intensity x-ray pulses with femtosecond or even shorter durations.