Fast, high-resolution X-ray nanoscopy for samples too large for today’s methods

X-ray Nanoimaging Unit develops X-ray nanoscopy methods for large samples: many parallel beams that image large areas fast, a scanned beam for samples in heavy or bulky environments, and cryogenic imaging of unstained biological tissue. The methods build on the bright, coherent X-rays of the 3 GeV ring of MAX IV, the first fourth-generation synchrotron source.

X ray multibeam diffraction preview 49 beams
Multibeam multiplexing raw diffraction data with 49 independent beams illuminating the sample. Optical design patent pending.
X ray nanoimaging advanced science cover preview
Cover page of Advanced Science

Research lines

Multibeam X-ray ptychography. Several beams scan neighbouring parts of the sample at the same time, which speeds up the measurement without loss of resolution.

Beam-scanning ptychography. The beam moves across a sample that stays still, so samples in complex environments (cryogenic, high-pressure, heated) can be imaged at high resolution.

Cryo X-ray ptychography. Biological specimens are imaged frozen, in their natural state, without metal staining or resin embedding.

See more at Science & Techniques.

Projects and funding

HASTE: High-throughput multibeam ptychography supporting catalytic research. Röntgen-Ångström Cluster, 2022–2026. Develops multibeam ptychography for studies of catalysts at work.

MIRA: Beam-Steering X-ray Ptychography Supporting Cancer Research. Röntgen-Ångström Cluster, 2026–2030. Develops beam-steering ptychography to image cells for cancer research.

X-ray Hierarchical 3D Nanoscopy for large specimens. Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF), 2026–2029. Builds a nanoscope for hierarchical visualisation of the whole specimen down to the nanoscale.

Key publications

Keywords: X-ray ptychography · nanoimaging · X-ray microscopy · phase-contrast imaging · cryogenic imaging · catalysts · microchips · biological tissue · high pressure

  1. Yang, R., Villanueva-Perez, P., Li, T., Lyubomirskiy, M., Fevola, G., Falch, K. V., Sztucki, M., Kahnt, M. Optimizing probes for multi-beam ptychography. Optics Express 34(7), 12463 (2026). doi.org/10.1364/OE.582830
    Compares ways to shape the beams and shows which make imaging with many beams most reliable.
  2. Li, T., Falch, K. V., Garrevoet, J., Dubrovinsky, L., Lyubomirskiy, M. High-resolution ptychographic nanoimaging under high pressure with X-ray beam scanning. PNAS 122(43), e2514163122 (2025). doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2514163122
    Scans the beam instead of the sample and images iron reacting at 50 GPa at a resolution below 50 nm.
  3. Åstrand, M., Vogt, U., Yang, R., Villanueva Perez, P., Li, T., Lyubomirskiy, M., Kahnt, M. Multi-beam multi-slice X-ray ptychography. Scientific Reports 15, 9273 (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93757-0
    First combination of multibeam and multi-slice imaging, for thick samples, shown at the NanoMAX beamline of MAX IV.
  4. Li, T., Kahnt, M., Sheppard, T. L., Yang, R., Falch, K. V., Zvagelsky, R., Villanueva-Perez, P., Wegener, M., Lyubomirskiy, M. X-ray multibeam ptychography at up to 20 keV: nano-lithography enhances X-ray nano-imaging. Advanced Science 11(30), 2310075 (2024). doi.org/10.1002/advs.202310075
    Twelve parallel beams from 3D-printed lenses image at 34 nm resolution, at 13 and 20 keV.
  5. Lyubomirskiy, M., Wittwer, F., Kahnt, M., Koch, F., Kubec, A., Falch, K. V., Garrevoet, J., Seyrich, M., David, C., Schroer, C. G. Multi-beam X-ray ptychography using coded probes for rapid non-destructive high resolution imaging of extended samples. Scientific Reports 12, 6203 (2022). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09466-5
    Gives each beam its own phase code, so three beams image a microchip 2.7 times faster than one.