Computed Origami Tomography

TL;DR

This paper presents an accessible experimental setup for light-based tomography using origami figures, complemented by computational tools and data for educational and research purposes, including Cryo-imaging simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a simple, hands-on origami-based tomography setup and provides computational resources and data for educational and research applications.

Findings

Provides assembly instructions for a light-based tomography device.

Offers a database and software for computational reconstruction.

Simulates Cryo-electron microscopy data for particle imaging.

Abstract

In this paper, we provide assembly instructions for an easy to build experimental setup in order to gain practical experience with tomography. In view of this, this paper can be seen as a complementary work to excellent mathematical textbooks at an undergraduate level concerned with the basic mathematical principles of tomography. Since the setup uses light for tomographic imaging, the investigated objects need to be light transparent, like origami figures. In case the reader wants to experiment with computational tomographic reconstructions without assembling the device, we provide a database of several objects together with their tomographic measurements and a publicly available software. Moreover, recent advances in Cryo-imaging enabled three-dimensional high-resolution visualization of single particles, such as for instance viruses. To exemplify, and experience, single particle Cryo-electron microscopy we provide an advanced assembly, which we use to generate data simulating a Cryo-recording. We also discuss some of the major practical difficulties for reconstructing particles from Cryo-microscopic data.