Abstract

X-ray holography has failed for many years to fulfill its initial promise. This has been due mainly to the poor coherence property of available x-ray sources. We believe this is changing: the opportunity now exists for effective use of x rays in the 23-45-Å region in 3-D imaging of biological material. We outline the theoretical basis of x-ray imaging in general and describe the issues involved in designing an optical system for x-ray holographic microscopy. We report progress in experimental realization of ideas in forming x-ray holograms using synchrotron radiation and in reconstructing with visible light.

© 1985 Optical Society of America