Instrument Development: A lab-scale soft X-ray microscope for biological systems

A new microscope will use laser-driven X-rays to capture nanoscale images of living, wet biological samples without damaging them. Current high-resolution imaging techniques often require samples to be dried, frozen, or stained with artificial dyes, which can alter or destroy the very structures scientists want to study. This instrument overcomes that limitation by operating in the "water window"—a specific X-ray wavelength range where water is transparent but carbon (the backbone of organic molecules) absorbs strongly. The system generates coherent X-rays through high harmonic generation, a process that uses intense short laser pulses, then reconstructs images algorithmically without needing lenses. If successful, the microscope will achieve more than ten times better spatial resolution and faster data acquisition than the team’s current 29-nanometre system. It will allow researchers to observe cellular machinery in its natural, hydrated state for the first time at this scale. The instrument will be built as a reliable lab-scale facility, complementing larger synchrotron-based X-ray sources at Harwell and the Central Laser Facility. This could accelerate discoveries in cell biology, drug delivery, and disease mechanisms by providing routine access to nanoscale imaging that currently requires scarce, multimillion-pound national facilities.