Chemical-state imaging of a mammalian cell through multi-elemental soft x-ray spectro-ptychography

Soft x-ray spectro-ptychography is a high-resolution chemical state imaging technique and has significant potential for the analysis of light-element-rich samples such as biological cells. We measured hyperspectral images of a whole mammalian neuronal cell at the nitrogen and oxygen absorption edges with soft x rays using the achromatic ptychography system CARROT developed at SPring-8 BL07LSU. We visualized and classified the intracellular structures based on the difference of chemical states, which are difficult to recognize in a monochromatic image. The method is expected to give insight into the relationship between intracellular structures and chemical states.