Soft x-ray holographic microscopy

We present a new x-ray microscopy technique based on Fourier transform holography (FTH), where the sample is separate from the optics part of the setup. The sample can be shifted with respect to the holography optics, thus large-scale or randomly distributed objects become accessible. As this extends FTH into a true microscopy technique, we call it x-ray holographic microscopy (XHM). FTH allows nanoscale imaging without the need for nanometer-size beams. Simple Fourier transform yields an unambiguous image reconstruction. We demonstrate XHM by studying the magnetic domain evolution of a Co/Pt multilayer film as function of locally varied iron overlayer thickness.