Fundamentals and limitations of XUV ptychography with high harmonic sources

Abstract

XUV ptychography provides an excellent technique for studying small structures in thin biological samples. Using XUV ptychography to image neurons is potentially very important given the current interest in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or tauopathies, which are linked to the neuron’s structure.

This thesis addresses the overlooked nuances in the fundamental understanding of XUV ptychography, shedding light on neglected aspects within the field. Employing a combination of real and simulated data, the research shows how ptychographic re-construction can be optimised for a given XUV source. Focusing on optimising the illuminating probe, we show an improvement in resolution and signal-to-noise. The directional nature of resolution is considered, introducing a novel measurement technique to account for this aspect. These changes lead to a potential threefold resolution
improvement by using a new design for the beam-shaping aperture and faster and lower-dose imaging.

While XUV ptychography offers inherent advantages, its synergy with complementary fluorescence-based imaging techniques is important in understanding neuron structure. Correlative imaging using three fluorescence-based techniques is explored to see how these can aid in attaining a more profound understanding of the sample composition and structure.

Furthermore, this thesis delves into the limits of damage in lab-based XUV ptychography, discussing the mechanism behind the damage, and showcasing the repeatability of experiments with XUV ptychography.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Bill Brocklesby: orcid.org/0000-0002-2123-6712

ORCID for Jeremy Frey: orcid.org/0000-0003-0842-4302

ORCID for Katrin Deinhardt: orcid.org/0000-0002-6473-5298

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