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SUMMARY:LMB Seminar: Laser phase plate in cryo-EM and cryo-ET - Holger Mü
 ller
DTSTART:20240909T100000Z
DTEND:20240909T110000Z
UID:TALK213439@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator
DESCRIPTION:The laser phase plate (LPP) is now approaching readiness for a
 pplications in biomedical science. I present the design and how we have ov
 ercome teething problems such as resolution loss by thermal noise. Our fir
 st steps toward automation resulted in reliable\, reproducible\, and stabl
 e operation over the time needed to take large datasets. As a first step t
 owards applications\, we show that the strong contrast increase reveals su
 rprising structural variation in protein particles (apoferritin and rubisc
 o). We have even generated a tomogram with the LPP\, showing that it is in
  principle possible to maintain laser/electron beam alignment when tilting
  the specimen. Installation of Theia\, our new microscope\, is currently a
 dvancing well. With a useful resolution of ~1-Å (as opposed to ~3-Å in o
 ur old microscope)\, along with spherical-aberration correction (enabling 
 us to recover more information across all scales) and a long effective foc
 al length (for phase contrast out to the largest specimen features) togeth
 er with high throughput\, Theia will allow our collaborators and us to use
  the LPP in its ideal environment. We have constructed its “T-1” LPP a
 nd demonstrated it on the optical bench at the needed high power. We are t
 hus expecting first phase-contrast images from Theia this Fall.
LOCATION:In person in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre (CB2 0QH) and via Zoo
 m\, link: https://mrc-lmb-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/99208619370?pwd=MkR4anNjVFht
 bHlIQmRSZzBobWxNdz09
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