Megahertz single-particle imaging at the European XFEL

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that single-particle imaging is feasible at megahertz repetition rates using the European XFEL, enabling more efficient data collection for biological imaging with high repetition-rate X-ray lasers.

Contribution

It shows the first successful implementation of single-particle imaging at megahertz repetition rates, aligning experimental steps with the high pulse frequency of modern XFELs.

Findings

Successful single-particle imaging at megahertz rates

Compatibility of experimental procedures with high repetition rates

Enhanced data acquisition efficiency for biological imaging

Abstract

The emergence of high repetition-rate X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) powered by superconducting accelerator technology enables the measurement of significantly more experimental data per day than was previously possible. The European XFEL will soon provide 27,000 pulses per second, more than two orders of magnitude more than any other XFEL. The increased pulse rate is a key enabling factor for single-particle X-ray diffractive imaging, which relies on averaging the weak diffraction signal from single biological particles. Taking full advantage of this new capability requires that all experimental steps, from sample preparation and delivery to the acquisition of diffraction patterns, are compatible with the increased pulse repetition rate. Here, we show that single-particle imaging can be performed using X-ray pulses at megahertz repetition rates. The obtained results pave the way towards exploiting high repetition-rate X-ray free-electron lasers for single-particle imaging at their full repetition rate.