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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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This New Laser Breakthrough Lets Scientists See Life at Atomic Clarity

Scientists use cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) to study tiny biological structures like proteins, viruses, and cells. This technique is powerful because it allows researchers to see molecules in a frozen, natural state without damaging them. Over the years, cryoEM has become one of the most important tools in structural biology.

But even with advanced technology, there is still a major challenge. Many biological samples are very “weak” in terms of how they interact with electrons. This means they do not produce strong images. As a result, important details can be difficult to see clearly.

To solve this problem, scientists have been working on improving image contrast without losing resolution. One of the most promising solutions is a device called a laser phase plate (LPP). Now, a new upgraded version called the crossed laser phase plate (xLPP) has been developed by Yu and colleagues, and it shows major improvements in cryoEM imaging.

Why CryoEM Needs Better Contrast

In cryoEM, a beam of electrons is passed through a frozen biological sample. These electrons carry information about the structure of the sample. However, most biological materials do not strongly block or absorb electrons. Instead, they only slightly change the “phase” of the electron waves.

The problem is that these phase changes are invisible in normal imaging. So, even though the information is there, the image looks very low in contrast and difficult to interpret.

To fix this, scientists use phase plates. These devices convert invisible phase changes into visible brightness differences. This makes the image clearer and easier to understand.

What is a Laser Phase Plate (LPP)?

A laser phase plate is a device that uses laser light to improve electron microscopy images. It works by interacting with the electron beam in a controlled way. Instead of directly blocking electrons, it changes their phase, which improves contrast while keeping fine details intact.

This is very important because in cryoEM, researchers need both clarity and high resolution. If contrast is too low, structures are hard to see. If the system is too aggressive, it can destroy important fine details.

The laser phase plate helps balance both needs.

The New Improvement: Crossed Laser Phase Plate (xLPP)

Although the original LPP improved imaging, it still had limitations. To overcome these, Yu and the research team developed a new version called the crossed laser phase plate (xLPP).

This system uses two optical cavities placed at right angles to each other. These cavities are installed inside a high-end cryo-electron microscope called the ThermoFisher Scientific Krios G4, one of the most advanced microscopes available today.

A specially designed transfer lens module is also added to ensure the system works smoothly and accurately.

The key idea behind the xLPP is simple: instead of applying phase changes in only one direction, it applies them in two directions. This gives better control and more stable imaging results.

How xLPP Improves Image Quality

One of the most important achievements of the xLPP system is that it creates a stable phase shift of 90 degrees. This means the electron waves are shifted in a very controlled way as they pass through the system.

Because of this, the final image shows much better contrast compared to traditional methods.

Another important factor is something called the contrast transfer function (CTF). This is a mathematical way of measuring how well a microscope transfers details from the sample into the image.

In the xLPP system, the CTF matches theoretical predictions very closely. This is a strong sign that the system is working correctly and producing reliable data.

In simple terms, the microscope behaves exactly as scientists expect it to, which makes the results more trustworthy.

Imaging Single Proteins with Very High Detail

To test the performance of the xLPP system, the researchers used a well-known protein called apoferritin. This protein is commonly used as a standard test sample in cryoEM because its structure is already well understood.

With the xLPP system, scientists were able to achieve a resolution of 1.79 angstroms (Å). This is extremely high resolution. At this level, individual atoms inside the protein structure can be seen clearly.

This result is very important because it shows that improving contrast does not reduce image quality. Instead, the xLPP improves contrast while still maintaining atomic-level detail.

This combination of high contrast and high resolution is one of the main goals in cryoEM research.

Imaging Whole Bacterial Cells

The researchers also tested the system on a more complex sample: intact E. coli bacteria cells. These cells are about 350 nanometers thick, which makes them much harder to image than single proteins.

Thicker samples usually scatter electrons more strongly, which reduces image clarity. This makes it difficult to see fine details inside the cell.

However, with the xLPP system, the contrast of these bacterial cells improved significantly. Even important low-frequency details, which represent larger structures inside the cell, became clearer.

This improvement also helped in a technique called template matching. This method is used to find and identify specific structures inside noisy images. With better contrast, this process becomes much more accurate and efficient.

Why This Development is Important

The crossed laser phase plate is important because it solves several long-standing problems in cryoEM:

1. Better Visibility of Weak Samples

Many biological samples are naturally weak in contrast. xLPP makes them easier to see without damaging them.

2. High Resolution is Maintained

Even with improved contrast, the system still produces atomic-level detail, which is essential for scientific research.

3. Accurate and Reliable Results

The system matches theoretical predictions closely, which means it produces stable and trustworthy data.

4. Works on Complex Samples

It is not limited to small proteins. It also works on thicker samples like whole bacterial cells.

Possible Uses in the Future

This new technology could have a big impact in many areas of science and medicine:

  • Drug development: Better images of proteins can help scientists design new medicines more accurately.

  • Virus research: Clearer images of viruses can help in developing vaccines and treatments.

  • Cell biology: Scientists can study how whole cells are organized internally.

  • Structural biology: Complex protein systems can be understood in greater detail.

In the long run, technologies like xLPP may help scientists observe biological processes at near-atomic detail in more natural conditions.

Challenges Ahead

Even though the results are exciting, the technology still has some challenges:

  • It requires very advanced and expensive equipment.

  • It is complex to set up and operate.

  • Scientists still need to improve stability for long-term use.

  • Data processing methods may need updates to fully use xLPP images.

Future research will focus on making the system easier to use and more widely available.

Conclusion

The crossed laser phase plate (xLPP) is a major step forward in cryo-electron microscopy. By using two crossed optical cavities, it improves image contrast while maintaining very high resolution.

The successful imaging of both a simple protein (apoferritin) and complex bacterial cells (E. coli) shows that this technology is powerful and flexible.

This development brings scientists closer to one of their biggest goals: seeing the structure of life at the smallest possible scale with perfect clarity.

Reference: Yue Yu, Anchi Cheng, Elizabeth Montabana, Noeli Paz Soldán, Eric S. Cooper, Jessie T. Zhang, Jeremy J. Axelrod, Petar N. Petrov, Amir Torkaman, Dylan Roof, Matthew Derstine, Bart Buijsse, Wim Hagen, Dari Kimanius, Shawn Zheng, Mykhailo Kopylov, Mohammadreza Paraan, Deepan Balakrishnan, Joshua Hutchings, Hang Cheng, Jonathan Remis, Ashwin Singh, Lothar Maisenbacher, Clinton S. Potter, Holger Müller, Bridget Carragher, David Agard, Pavel K. Olshin, "A Crossed Laser Phase Plate for CryoEM", bioRxiv 2026.06.05.730245; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.05.730245

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