Multiple image integration: a new method in electron microscopy

An optical 'flicker' method is described for the precise azimuthal and translational co-registration of many noisy but identical molecular images. Starting with a real micrograph of known biological objects showing no visible detail below 4 nm, a lattice of images of individual objects was synthesized by computer and translationally filtered, using real experimental data throughout. Detail was recovered conforming with known structural features of the object down to about 1.5 nm, and rotational analysis showed that the registration accuracy of the lattice elements was better than 0.5 nm on the object. Application to the straightening of real two-dimensional lattices with long-range distortion is discussed.