title: Combined scanning transmission electron microscopy tilt- and focal series.
abstract: In this study, a combined tilt- and focal series is proposed as a new recording scheme for high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography. Three-dimensional (3D) data were acquired by mechanically tilting the specimen, and recording a through-focal series at each tilt direction. The sample was a whole-mount macrophage cell with embedded gold nanoparticles. The tilt-focal algebraic reconstruction technique (TF-ART) is introduced as a new algorithm to reconstruct tomograms from such combined tilt- and focal series. The feasibility of TF-ART was demonstrated by 3D reconstruction of the experimental 3D data. The results were compared with a conventional STEM tilt series of a similar sample. The combined tilt- and focal series led to smaller "missing wedge" artifacts, and a higher axial resolution than obtained for the STEM tilt series, thus improving on one of the main issues of tilt series-based electron tomography.
authors.affiliation: 1 German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence GmbH (DFKI), 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dahmen
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-0615, USA.
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Baudoin
authors.affiliation: 4 Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lupini
authors.affiliation: 4 Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kübel
authors.affiliation: 1 German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence GmbH (DFKI), 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Slusallek
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-0615, USA.
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Jonge
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D016477:Artifacts; D055032:Electron Microscope Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008264:Macrophages / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017348:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Transmission / Q000379:methods*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000648:ultrastructure