The correlation of single-particle diffraction patterns as a continuous function of particle orientation

Abstract

A statistical model for X-ray scattering of a non-periodic sample to high angles is introduced. It is used to calculate analytically the correlation of distinct diffraction measurements of a particle as a continuous function of particle orientation.Diffraction measurementswith shot-noise are also considered. This theory provides a general framework for a deeper understanding of single particle imaging techniques used at X-ray free-electron lasers. Many of these techniques use correlations as a measure of diffraction-pattern similarity in order to determine properties of the sample, such as particle orientation. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.