X-ray imaging of living cells

X-ray images of living cells were obtained by using a flash contact x-ray microscope system. The system consists of a high power laser (grass laser or KrF laser) for producing a plasma as an x-ray source, a small vacuum chamber, and a sample holder with a metal target for making plasma. The x-ray images were recorded on an x-ray sensitive layer on a silicon wafer. After chemical development x-ray images on the x-ray sensitive layers were read out by using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The performance of the system is demonstrated by presenting x-ray images of unicellular microorganisms, bacteria and skeletal muscle fibers. The intracellular structures were visible in some cases. For laboratory use a flash contact tabletop x-ray microscope is improved using a table-scaled YAG laser. The table-top systems showed good performance comparing to that of the x-ray microscope system with high power laser. These results indicated that the table-top x-ray microscope is a powerful instrumentation for the observation of living cells.