The scanning transmission microscope at the NSLS (National Synchrotron Light Source)

The scanning transmission soft x-ray microscope (STXM), that has been under development at the National Synchrotron Light Source has been substantially upgraded for operation with the X1 undulator. The principal new features are: optical prefocusing, using a visible light interferometer, a dedicated VAXstation 3200 with a more user friendly and flexible software system for image acquisition and analysis, a flow cell that makes it possible not only to keep the specimen wet during exposure, but to change the fluid around the specimen as well, and a more compact proportional counter that is capable of counting rates of several MHz. In conjunction with new zone plates of better resolution and higher efficiency, the microscope is ready for a period of extended use in biological imaging. 9 refs., 6 figs.