2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Development of soft X-ray microscope in Water window wavelength region using Flash LPP light source

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	16H03902
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Quantum beam science
Research Institution	Tohoku University
Principal Investigator	Ejima Takeo 東北大学, 多元物質科学研究所, 准教授 (80261478)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	加道雅孝国立研究開発法人量子科学技術研究開発機構, 量子ビーム科学研究部門, 室長代理(定常) (30360431) 刀袮重信東京電機大学, 理工学研究科, 特別専任教授 (70211399) 東口武史宇都宮大学, 工学部, 教授 (80336289)
Project Period (FY)	2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
Keywords	水の窓 / UTA放射 / 反射多層膜 / 軟X線顕微鏡
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Since the shortness of the wavelength and existance of some absorption edges of light elements in “Water window” wavelength region (2.3 - 4.4 nm), a high spatial resolution image will be obtained with high contrast when an unstained organic material is imaged using this wavelength region. In order to enable high spatial resolution imaging of organic materials using a laboratory light source in this wavelength region, we made following studies: (1) Improvement of efficiency and brightness of laser-produced plasma light source, (2) Development of laboratory type soft x-ray microscope with soft x-ray imaging optics, and (3) Demonstration of soft X-ray images of biological cells in the "carbon window" and "water window" wavelength region. Furthermore, we found newly as an unexpected result that the emission intensity of the soft X-ray in "Water window" wavelength region from the laser produced plasma under N2 atomosphere increases as the increase of the N2 gas pressure.
Free Research Field	軟X線光学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	基礎医学・臨床応用、薬学、基礎生物学、農学などの生物を対象とする学問はすべて、生物を構成する細胞内の構造を知るために高い空間分解能を持つ顕微鏡を必要としている。本研究はその要求に応えるための一つの方法として「水の窓」波長域（λ=2.3～4.4 nm）を利用した軟X線顕微鏡のための光源、光学系などの要素技術開発を行い、それらを組み合わせて顕微鏡として完成させた。その他、要素技術開発の途中で新たな高輝度光源の動作原理となる可能性のあるプラズマ発光強度のガス圧依存性を見出した。