Demonstration of x-ray microscopy with an x-ray laser operating near the carbon K edge

High-brightness and short-pulse-width (-200 ps) x-ray lasers offer biologists the possibility of high-resolution three-dimensional imaging of specimens in an aqueous environment without the blurring effects associated with natural motions. As a first step toward developing the capabilities of this type of x-ray microscopy we have used a tantalum x-ray laser (λ = 4.483 nm) together with an x-ray zone plate lens to image a test pattern. The observed image shows a detector-limited resolution of approximately 75 nm and paves the way to three-dimensional biological imaging with high spatial resolution (20–30 nm). © 1992 Optical Society of America.