An Interactive user interface for automated acquisition transmission electron micrographs

Jim Pulokas

Research Programmer
Imaging Technology Group

27 July 2000

For several years we have been developing a software application, called Leginon, for the automated control and acquisition of images from a transmission electron microscope.  One of the primary motivations in developing this software is to provide for a system that can acquire many hundreds of images under low dose conditions from a specimen embedded in vitreous ice.  In order to set up and manage this system we have developed a number of simple interactive graphical tools that enable the user to design, oversee and manage protocols for controlling the microscope and collecting images.