X-Ray and Electron Tomography: From Images to Volumes to Knowledge

Abstract: One of the ultimate goals of microscopy is to understand the structure of materials from the images we obtain. Recent advances in X-ray and electron microscopy—including smaller probes, efficient detectors, and advanced computational imaging tools—are bringing us closer to this goal. However, most imaging workflows remain two-dimensional (2D), providing only projected information from inherently three-dimensional (3D) objects. By acquiring full 3D data sets and applying tomographic reconstruction, one can recover the true structure of a sample. In this talk, I will present the workflow and limitations of nanoscale tomography using X-ray and electron microscopy—from optimizing 2D image contrast, to acquiring tomographic data, to reconstructing 3D volumes. Drawing on examples from STROBE projects, I will show how structural knowledge gained from these volumes—such as atomic models, nanoporosity, and magnetic fields—provides critical insights across a wide range of scientific disciplines.

 

Speaker Bio: Colum earned his bachelor's degree in physics from Trinity College Dublin and completed a PhD in Materials Science at the University of Oxford. In 2020, he joined UCLA as a STROBE Postdoctoral Fellow in the Miao Group, where he advanced ptychography and tomography techniques for 3D imaging of individual light atoms. Colum recently joined SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory as a Research Associate, where he focuses on multiscale, multimodal imaging approaches for microelectronics.