Physical Chemistry Seminar: "Imaging Biological Molecules with X-Ray Lasers"

Presenter

Dr. Richard Kirian

Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Assoc Professor, Applied Structural Discovery Faculty, Associate Professor, Center for Biological Physics, Associate Faculty, Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Assoc Professor, Applied Structural Discovery Researchers, Arizona State University

Abstract

The advent of X-Ray Free-Electron Lasers (XFELs) in 2009 abruptly opened new and unprecedented possibilities for the study of biomolecular systems.  Because of the immense intensity of XFEL sources, and their ultrashort pulse durations, measurements can be made with femtosecond time resolution, at room temperature, and without radiation damage artifacts.  Various XFEL-based techniques that target biomolecular systems have been in continuous development since 2009, including the well-established methods of Serial Femtosecond Crystallography and Time-Resolved Solutions scattering, as well as the march toward the ultimate goal of Single-Molecule Imaging.  I will briefly survey some of the progress in those techniques, and then focus on the ongoing development of Fluctuation X-Ray Scattering, which is a lesser-known technique that will enable 3D images of biomolecules to be formed from solution-based samples, without cryo-freezing or crystallization.

Image

Bio-sketch

Dr. Kirian works primarily in the field of x-ray free-electron laser science.  His work centers on the development of measurement techniques and diffraction analysis algorithms for static and time-resolved studies of biological macromolecules.  Among other things, Dr. Kirian develops liquid microjet and aerosol particle injection systems for placing biomolecules at the intense focus of free-electron lasers, and he develops data analysis software and algorithms (e.g. iterative projection algorithms for lensless diffractive imaging and crystallography).  Prior to joining ASU Physics in 2014, Dr. Kirian received his PhD in physics at ASU in 2011 and worked as a postdoc at the Center for Free-Electron Lasers in Hamburg from 2011-2014.

Host:

Dr. Michael Brown