Simple convergent-nozzle aerosol injector for single-particle diffractive imaging with X-ray free-electron lasers

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Biophysics
• Materials Science

Background:

• High-resolution imaging requires precise particle delivery.
• X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) offer advanced imaging capabilities.
• Aerosol injectors are crucial for delivering samples to XFEL beams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an efficient aerosol injector for XFEL coherent diffractive imaging.
• To demonstrate particle focusing using a convergent-orifice nozzle.
• To enable virus injection into micro-focused soft-X-ray FEL beams.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a simple convergent-orifice nozzle for particle focusing.
• Employed optical imaging to characterize particle beam diameter.
• Integrated the nozzle for injecting viruses into a soft-X-ray FEL beam.

Main Results:

• Achieved a focused particle beam with a 4.2 μm full-width at half maximum diameter for 0.5 μm particles.
• Demonstrated successful injection of particles into a micro-focused XFEL beam.
• Validated the nozzle's capability for biological sample delivery in XFEL experiments.

Conclusions:

• Convergent-orifice nozzles provide an effective solution for particle focusing in XFEL imaging.
• This technique enhances sample delivery efficiency for high-resolution coherent diffractive imaging.
• The developed injector system is suitable for studying biological samples like viruses at XFELs.