Researchers from Germany, Switzerland, and Japan demonstrated a 220-second X-ray scan that images samples 27 times faster than conventional methods using a single optical component, according to two outlets published on October 27, 2026.
The Technology Behind the Breakthrough
The innovation relies on a reflection zone plate (RZP), a nanostructured optic that reflects, focuses, and separates soft X-rays simultaneously. This single-component system replaces traditional multi-element setups, enabling faster imaging and spectroscopy. The team tested the method at the P04 beamline of PETRA III at DESY in Hamburg, achieving 14–24 micrometer resolution while capturing a full nitrogen K-edge RIXS dataset in 220 seconds. The RZP’s design eliminates the need for multiple optical elements, as it performs reflection, focusing, imaging, and spectral dispersion in one compact system, according to the researchers.
Overcoming Optical Limitations
Researchers addressed the Abbe sine condition, an optical principle that previously limited distortion-free imaging. By operating the RZP in the paraxial regime, they restricted X-ray angles to minimize distortions, allowing sharp imaging of larger objects. The strong dispersion of the RZP allows several spectroscopic features to be measured simultaneously,
said Dr. Christoph Braig, a researcher at Tohoku University. The team validated the method using standard test patterns, including Siemens stars and the letters “RIXS,” which are used to evaluate image sharpness. They then replaced the test pattern with a thin jet of acetonitrile dissolved in ethanol to demonstrate chemical analysis.
The RZP measured X-ray energies between 388.6 and 401.8 electron volts, resolving elastic, inelastic, and vibrational features near the nitrogen K-edge. Instead of using a single X-ray energy, the researchers employed a beam containing multiple energies, creating an X-ray “rainbow.” This approach allowed the RZP to measure incoming and outgoing X-ray energies simultaneously, capturing a complete two-dimensional RIXS map without reconfiguring the system. This could make advanced soft X-ray measurements more efficient and easier to implement,
said Jens Rehanek.
Implications for Material Science
By combining spatial and spectroscopic data in a single setup, the method could accelerate research into atomic-scale material properties. The findings, published in Optics Express, highlight potential applications in chemistry, physics, and materials engineering. The study’s authors emphasized that the RZP’s ability to collect a complete spectroscopy dataset in 220 seconds represents a significant improvement over conventional point-by-point scanning, which is considerably slower.
The research team included collaborators from Germany’s DESY, Switzerland’s institutions, and Japan’s Tohoku University. The experiments were conducted at the P04 beamline of PETRA III, a synchrotron radiation source, highlighting the global collaboration behind the advancement. The study’s methodology involved moving the sample in small steps across the X-ray beam, with a computer stitching together individual image strips to form a complete two-dimensional image. This approach resolved features measuring 14 to 24 micrometers, several times smaller than the width of a human hair, while imaging circular objects 27 times faster than traditional methods.
The team’s work builds on prior limitations in X-ray spectromicroscopy, where combining imaging and spectroscopy required complex, multi-element optical systems. By integrating these functions into a single RZP, the researchers achieved a streamlined process that maintains image quality while reducing experimental time. The study’s publication in Optics Express marks a key step in advancing soft X-ray techniques, with potential implications for studying materials at the atomic scale.