Femtosecond Three-Dimensional Imaging of Single-Protein with Hard X-ray Laser

@misc{xavier2026femtosecond,
  title = {{Femtosecond Three-Dimensional Imaging of Single-Protein with Hard X-ray Laser}},
  author = {Paul Lourdu Xavier and Andrew J. Morgan and Johan Bielecki and Amit K. Samanta and Simon Dold and Chufeng Li and Xinyue Gao and Spencer K. Passmore and Ruslan P. Kurta and Tim B. Berberich and Emiliano De Santis and Wenhui Zhang and Juncheng E and Faisal H. M. Koua and Romain Letrun and Luca Gelisio and Oleksii Turkot and Egor Sobolev and Lukas V. Haas and Jannik Lübke and Jingxuan He and Madeline B. F. Memovich and Kevin Janson and Stefanie Lenzen and Safi Rafie-Zinedine and Mansi Butola and Oleksandr Yefanov and Fabian Trost and Chan Kim and Tomas Popelar and Tokushi Sato and Mohammad Vakili and Yevheniy Ovcharenko and Rebecca Boll and Sergey Usenko and Thomas M. Baumann and Alberto De Fanis and Björn Senftleben and Matteo Porro and Andrea Castoldi and Ibrahym Dourki and Cyril Danilevski and Ekaterina Round and Christina Schmidt and Huijong Han and Roberto Alvarez and Ervin Chia and Cornelia Cazey and Carolin Seuring and Ruojie Sha and Maia Azubel and David A. Bushnell and Sébastien Boutet and Sergey Ovchinnikov and Adrian P. Mancuso and Michael Meyer and Richard Bean and Anton Barty and Filipe R. N. C. Maia and Richard A. Kirian},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.11892},
  eprint = {2610.11892},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.11892},
}

TY  - UNPB
TI  - Femtosecond Three-Dimensional Imaging of Single-Protein with Hard X-ray Laser
AU  - Paul Lourdu Xavier
AU  - Andrew J. Morgan
AU  - Johan Bielecki
AU  - Amit K. Samanta
AU  - Simon Dold
AU  - Chufeng Li
AU  - Xinyue Gao
AU  - Spencer K. Passmore
AU  - Ruslan P. Kurta
AU  - Tim B. Berberich
AU  - Emiliano De Santis
AU  - Wenhui Zhang
AU  - Juncheng E
AU  - Faisal H. M. Koua
AU  - Romain Letrun
AU  - Luca Gelisio
AU  - Oleksii Turkot
AU  - Egor Sobolev
AU  - Lukas V. Haas
AU  - Jannik Lübke
AU  - Jingxuan He
AU  - Madeline B. F. Memovich
AU  - Kevin Janson
AU  - Stefanie Lenzen
AU  - Safi Rafie-Zinedine
AU  - Mansi Butola
AU  - Oleksandr Yefanov
AU  - Fabian Trost
AU  - Chan Kim
AU  - Tomas Popelar
AU  - Tokushi Sato
AU  - Mohammad Vakili
AU  - Yevheniy Ovcharenko
AU  - Rebecca Boll
AU  - Sergey Usenko
AU  - Thomas M. Baumann
AU  - Alberto De Fanis
AU  - Björn Senftleben
AU  - Matteo Porro
AU  - Andrea Castoldi
AU  - Ibrahym Dourki
AU  - Cyril Danilevski
AU  - Ekaterina Round
AU  - Christina Schmidt
AU  - Huijong Han
AU  - Roberto Alvarez
AU  - Ervin Chia
AU  - Cornelia Cazey
AU  - Carolin Seuring
AU  - Ruojie Sha
AU  - Maia Azubel
AU  - David A. Bushnell
AU  - Sébastien Boutet
AU  - Sergey Ovchinnikov
AU  - Adrian P. Mancuso
AU  - Michael Meyer
AU  - Richard Bean
AU  - Anton Barty
AU  - Filipe R. N. C. Maia
AU  - Richard A. Kirian
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/24
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.11892
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.11892
AB  - The extreme intensity of X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) pulses has enabled imaging of radiation-sensitive samples, such as macromolecular microcrystals, beyond radiation damage limits. These sources have the potential to enable biomolecular single-particle imaging, similar to cryo-electron microscopy but without the need for cryo-fixation and with temporal resolution from femtoseconds to milliseconds. While this possibility was recognized before XFELs were built, the biological single-particle imaging work flow has previously only been demonstrated on large virus particles. Building on improvements in X-ray beam focusing, particle delivery, diffraction detection, and advanced analysis, here we demonstrate imaging of a single molecular complex, the giant-hemoglobin erythrocruorin (Ery) with X-ray laser pulses. Two-dimensional classes of diffraction patterns could be reconstructed to 15 Angstrom resolution, and 3D images to ~20 to 30 Angstrom, even though the 3D merged intensity in reciprocal space extended beyond 20 Angstrom. The resolution discrepancy is likely due to heterogeneity caused by gas-phase compaction of the complexes. With increased throughput, this approach could be used to reveal in-situ structural details during mass spectrometry studies of biomolecules, while improvements in sample delivery may provide ultrafast snapshot imaging of biological single-particles in their native-state beyond the limitations of radiation damage.
ER  -