Real-Space Imaging of Atomic Structure with White X Rays

The first real-space x-ray image of an atomic structure was obtained by illuminating a crystal with white synchrotron radiation. The internal photocurrent signal served as a probe of the x-ray interference field strength at the atomic sites and was accordingly measured as a function of illumination direction to record the two-dimensional image. This novel method of real-space imaging makes use of the fact that the interference field intensity is energy independent with respect to contributions from those scattering atoms which are brought via sample rotation into the forward scattering condition. In contrast, contributions from other atoms oscillate with energy and vanish for broadband illumination.