Flash X-ray microscopy

Soft x-ray contact microscopy, utilizing single-shot exposures of ∼ 60 nanoseconds duration in polymethyl methacrylate, has been realized with a resolution of 300 angstroms. The radiation spectrum is intense in the "window" between 23 and 44 angstroms where water is transparent compared to biological materials, and therefore permits viewing of wet samples. Copyright © 1979 AAAS.