The potential benefits of using higher X-ray energies for macromolecular crystallography

Using X-ray energies higher than those normally used (5–15 keV) for macromolecular X-ray crystallography (MX) at synchrotron sources can theoretically increase the achievable signal as a function of dose and reduce the rate of radiation damage. In practice, a major stumbling block to the use of high...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Garman, E, Dickerson, J
Format: Journal article
Published: International Union of Crystallography 2019
_version_ 1826273934157283328
author Garman, E
Dickerson, J
author_facet Garman, E
Dickerson, J
author_sort Garman, E
collection OXFORD
description Using X-ray energies higher than those normally used (5–15 keV) for macromolecular X-ray crystallography (MX) at synchrotron sources can theoretically increase the achievable signal as a function of dose and reduce the rate of radiation damage. In practice, a major stumbling block to the use of higher X-ray energy has been the reduced quantum efficiency of silicon detectors as the X-ray energy increases, but hybrid photon-counting CdTe detectors are optimized for higher X-ray energies, and their performance has been steadily improving. Here the potential advantages of using higher incident beam energy together with a CdTe detector for MX are explored, with a particular focus on the advantages that higher beam energies may have for MX experiments with microbeams or microcrystals. Monte Carlo simulations are presented here which for the first time include the efficiency responses of some available X-ray detectors, as well as the possible escape of photoelectrons from the sample and their entry from surrounding material. The results reveal a ‘sweet spot’ at an incident X-ray energy of 26 keV, and show a greater than factor of two improvement in diffraction efficiency at this energy when using microbeams and microcrystals of 5 mm or less.
first_indexed 2024-03-06T22:35:46Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:59d6ac02-d6ac-4694-91aa-d51c3b40b7d4
institution University of Oxford
last_indexed 2024-03-06T22:35:46Z
publishDate 2019
publisher International Union of Crystallography
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:59d6ac02-d6ac-4694-91aa-d51c3b40b7d42022-03-26T17:12:05ZThe potential benefits of using higher X-ray energies for macromolecular crystallographyJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:59d6ac02-d6ac-4694-91aa-d51c3b40b7d4Symplectic Elements at OxfordInternational Union of Crystallography2019Garman, EDickerson, JUsing X-ray energies higher than those normally used (5–15 keV) for macromolecular X-ray crystallography (MX) at synchrotron sources can theoretically increase the achievable signal as a function of dose and reduce the rate of radiation damage. In practice, a major stumbling block to the use of higher X-ray energy has been the reduced quantum efficiency of silicon detectors as the X-ray energy increases, but hybrid photon-counting CdTe detectors are optimized for higher X-ray energies, and their performance has been steadily improving. Here the potential advantages of using higher incident beam energy together with a CdTe detector for MX are explored, with a particular focus on the advantages that higher beam energies may have for MX experiments with microbeams or microcrystals. Monte Carlo simulations are presented here which for the first time include the efficiency responses of some available X-ray detectors, as well as the possible escape of photoelectrons from the sample and their entry from surrounding material. The results reveal a ‘sweet spot’ at an incident X-ray energy of 26 keV, and show a greater than factor of two improvement in diffraction efficiency at this energy when using microbeams and microcrystals of 5 mm or less.
spellingShingle Garman, E
Dickerson, J
The potential benefits of using higher X-ray energies for macromolecular crystallography
title The potential benefits of using higher X-ray energies for macromolecular crystallography
title_full The potential benefits of using higher X-ray energies for macromolecular crystallography
title_fullStr The potential benefits of using higher X-ray energies for macromolecular crystallography
title_full_unstemmed The potential benefits of using higher X-ray energies for macromolecular crystallography
title_short The potential benefits of using higher X-ray energies for macromolecular crystallography
title_sort potential benefits of using higher x ray energies for macromolecular crystallography
work_keys_str_mv AT garmane thepotentialbenefitsofusinghigherxrayenergiesformacromolecularcrystallography
AT dickersonj thepotentialbenefitsofusinghigherxrayenergiesformacromolecularcrystallography
AT garmane potentialbenefitsofusinghigherxrayenergiesformacromolecularcrystallography
AT dickersonj potentialbenefitsofusinghigherxrayenergiesformacromolecularcrystallography