Regent's Professor J.C.H. Spence

This is the web page of Professor J.C.H. Spence in the Physics Department at Arizona State University, U.S.A. Research is conducted at our ASU lab, and at LBL, Berkeley on atomic structure and processes in organic and inorganic matter. It is funded by NSF, DOE, ARO and LBL. Updated 3/07

Our research group web page is http://spencelab.la.asu.edu/

Our addresses are as follows:

  1. J. Spence, Physics, ASU, Tempe, AZ. 85287-1504, USA. e-mail spence@asu.edu

Tel. USA 602-965 6486. Lab: 602-965 2535, Fax USA 602-965 7954

  1. At LBL: Lawrence Berkeley Lab, 1 Cyclotron Rd.,4-102A, Berkeley, Ca. 94720

Tel: 510-486-7775, 510-486-4067. Fax 510-486-7696.

  1. Dr. N. Jaing. nan.jiang@asu.edu 
  2. Dr. U. Weierstall uwe.weierstall@asu.edu  

John Spence is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, of the Institute of Physics (UK), and of Churchill College Cambridge, UK. He was Co-Editor of Acta Cryst (A) for North America (Diffraction Physics, 1990-2000), and of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Advanced Light Source at LBNL. He is a member of the DOE  BESAC Committee, and of the Molecular Foundry Advisory Board at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and a Member, US National Committee for Crystallography , Recipient of the Burton Medal of the Microscopy Society of America and of a Humbolt Senior Scientist award. He is an editorial board member for the Oxford University Press series on Mesoscopic Physics, of Reports on Progress in Physics, of Ultramicroscopy and J. Micros. He is chair of the International Union of Crystallography Commission on Electron Diffraction, a member of the IUCr commission on Charge, Spin and Momentum densities and was chair of the Gordon Conference on Charge, Spin and Momentum densities for 2004, and recipient of the Frontiers In Electron Microscopy Lectureship award for 2003 and was FAST Lecturer at Cornell in 2005. He received the  MSA Distinguished Scientist  award  for 2006 and was elected Fellow of the AAAS in 2008.

To view an image of the copper-oxygen bonding orbital , as published in Nature for Sept 3, 1999 (New York Times, Sept  7) click here.
For  a simple explanation of our direct images of chemical bond electron clouds (molecular bonding orbitals), see here.

Some recent papers

1. On Jia et al seeing Oxygen in Superconductors. Science 03. http://www.public.asu.edu/~jspence/JCHS_Science_03.pdf

2. On Kiesel et al - the electron antibunching effect observed. Nature 02 http://www.public.asu.edu/~jspence/N&V_Antibunch_JCHS_02.pdf

3. On X-ray holograms of atoms...Nature 01 . http://www.public.asu.edu/~jspence/N&V_SpenceNature'01.pdf

4. Electron-excited fluorescence makes hologram of atomic structure. PRL 01 http://www.public.asu.edu/~jspence/PRLSpenceKoch01.pdf

5. "Imaging" of the chemical bonding in copper oxide. Nature 98. http://www.public.asu.edu/~jspence/NatureBonding.pdf

6. Direct observation of dislocation kinks and their motion. PRL 96. http://www.public.asu.edu/~jspence/KolarPRLKinks.pdf

7.Single Molecule Diffraction. J.C.H.Spence and B.Doak. Physical Review Letters. 92, 198102 (2004)

8. D. Starodub et al  "Motion of laser-aligned hydrated proteins in a beam"  J. Chem Phys 123  244304 (2005)

9. J. Wu  et al "Atomic resolution lensless imaging of nanoparticles on a substrate". Nature Materials. 4, p. 912 (2005).

 

Students in this group work toward Physics, Materials Science or Biophysics MSc and PhD. degrees under the supervision of Prof. Spence, in the following areas:

New electron optical instruments are also under development such as our Scanning Atom Probe, the Point Reflection Electron Microscope, the laser aligned, hydrated protein beam, and Microdiffraction RHEED.

Summaries of some of our work can be found in the books "Experimental HREM" (J. Spence, Oxford Univ. Press, 2003, 3rd edition) and "Electron Microdiffraction" (J. Spence and J. Zuo, Plenum, 1992).  The book "Science of Microscopy" (2 Vols, Eds P. Hawkes and J.C.H.Spence) , Springer, 2007,  reviews all forms of modern microscopy.

Students or postdoctorals interested in visiting should contact us through Internet.

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Some recent papers (updated March 2008.)

Condensed Matter, Ab-initio Quantum Molec Dynamics for cracks, dislocations, kinks.
We predict the mechanical properties (fracture toughness, ductility) of perfect crystals using atomistic quantum mechanical calculations.
25. "Electronic structure of the unreconstructed 30 partial dislocation in silicon", J.E. Northrup, M.L. Cohen, J.R. Chelikowsky, J. Spence and A. Olsen, Phys. Rev. B24, 4623-4628 (1981).
201 Atomistics and mechanical properties of silicon. J.C.Spence. Acta Mat et Met. (1999). 47, p. 4153.
81. "A Kink Mechanism for Formation of the Si(111)-(2x1) Reconstructed Surface", J. Spence. Phys. Rev. B38, p. 12672-12674 (1988)
105.  "The influence of internal surfaces on the (2x1) shuffle and glide cleavage reconstructions"  Y.M.Huang, J.C.H.Spence, O. Sankey, and G. Adams. Surface Science  (1991) 256, p.344.  URI
146. "Dislocation kink motion in silicon". Y. M. Huang, J.C.H.Spence and O. Sankey. Phys. Rev. Letts. 74, p. 3392 (1995) .
120.  "Lattice trapping and surface reconstruction for silicon cleavage on (111). Ab- initio quantum molecular dynamics calculations". J. Spence, Y. Huang and O.Sankey. Acta Met. 41, p. 2815 (1993).
46. "High energy transmission electron diffraction and imaging studies of the silicon surface", J.C.H. Spence, Ultramicroscopy, 11, 117 (1983).
139  "The effect of impurities on the ideal tensile strength of silicon" Y.M. Huang, J.C.H. Spence and Otto F Sankey, Phil Mag. 1994. 70, p.53.
120. "Lattice trapping and surface reconstruction for silicon cleavage on (111). Ab- initio quantum molecular dynamics calculations". J. Spence, Y. Huang and O.Sankey. Acta Met. 41, p. 2815 (1993)

Biophysics.
Protein structures by X-ray  and electron diffraction from a laser-aligned  beam of hydrated molecules.
Diffraction and imaging from a beam of laser-aligned proteins. J.C.H.Spence et al.  Acta Cryst A61, p.237. (2005)
Damped and thermal motion of laser-aligned hydrated macro-molecules in beams". D. Starodub et al.  J. Chem Phys. 123, 244304 . (2005).
Single Molecule Diffraction. J.C.H.Spence and B.Doak. Physical Review Letters. 92, 198102
Damped and thermal motion of laser-aligned hydrated macro-molecules in beams". D. Starodub, R.B. Doak, K. Schmidt, U. Weierstall, J.Wu, J. Spence, M. Howells, M. Marcus, D. Shapiro, A. Barty, H. Chapman.  J. Chem Phys. 123, p. 244304 (2005).  Also Weierstall et al, 2007 J. Phys D.  Submitted.  Starodub et al 2007 J. Synch Res Submitted.

Ordering in Glasses.
" The most important unsolved problem in Condensed Matter Physics" (P. Anderson).
261       "Long range structural fluctuations in a CaO-Al2O3-2SiO2 glass by spatially resolved near-edge spectroscopy. N. Jiang, J. Qiu and J.C.H.Spence. Phys Rev B66, p.054203 (2002).

Organic materials, Biophysics, Cryoelectronmicroscopy.
288 Three-dimensional diffractive imaging for crystalline monolayers with one-dimensional compact support. J.Spence, U. Weierstall, K. Downing** and R. M. Glaeser*. J. Struct. Biol. 144, 209. 2003.
262       Kinematic and dynamical CBED for solving thin organic films at low temperature; experimental tests with anthracene. J.S. Wu and J.C.H. Spence. Acta Cryst A58, p.580. (2002)

Bonding in solids. Electron Microdiffraction.
We develop new methods for imaging the chemical bonds which glue atoms together in solids, and test many-electron theoretical approximations for bonding.
177."Charge density of MgO: Implications of precise new measurements for theory". J.M.Zuo, M. O'Keeffe, P. Rez, J. Spence. Phys Rev Letts.  78, p. 4777-4780. (1998) .DMR9412146
174 "Direct inversion of dynamical electron diffraction patterns to structure factors".  J. Spence. Acta Cryst. A. 1998. A54  p. 7 - 18. DMR9412146
153 "Effect of Mn doping on chanrge density in g-TiAl by quantitative CBED" R. Holmestad, J. Zuo, J. Spence R Hoier and Z. Horita. Philos. Mag. (1995) 72, p. 579  ( NSF DMR 9015867
28 "A simple method for the determination of structure factor phase relationships  and crystal polarity using electron diffraction", J. Tafto/ and J. Spence, J. Appl.  Cryst., 15, 60-64 (1982), NSF 80.
82. "Bonding in GaAs", J.M. Zuo, J. Spence and M. O'Keefe. Phys. Rev.  Letts Vol. 61, p353 (1988)
90. "Accurate structure-factor phase determination by electron diffraction in non- centrosymmetric crystals", J.M. Zuo, J. Spence and R. Hoier.  Phys.  Rev.  Letts. (1989) 62 p. 547, NSF 88.
103  "Charge ordering in magnetite at low temperatures". J.M.Zuo, J.C.H. Spence and  W.Petusky. Phys. Rev. B.42,  p.8451  (1990).  NSF 88
218       "On the measurement of dislocation core periods by nanodiffraction". J.C.H.Spence and C. Koch. Phil Mag. B.81, 11,pp.1701-1711(2001). (Bourret Festschrift).
104. Bonding in copper oxide - direct observation of chemical bonds."Direct Observation of d holes and Cu-Cu bonding in Cu2O". J. Zuo, Y.Kim, M. O'Keeffe, J. Spence. Nature Vol 401, p.49, (1999). 226 "On closed shell interactions, polar covalences, d shell holes, and direct images of orbitals: the case of cuprite". J.Zuo, M.O’Keeffe, M.Kim, J.Spence. Angew Chem Int Ed 2000, 39, p. 3791. See  http://www.public.asu.edu/~jmzuo/pics/pics.htm For text of mss, click here. For images, click below. Nature99CopperOxideBonds
285 "Electron density in copper and other transition metals. Support for Engel-Brewer theory" B.Jiang, J.Friis, M.O'Keeffe and J.C.H.Spence. Nature. Submitted. 4/6/03.

Coherent Bremsstrahlung
Charged particles buzzing through crystals generate tunable coherent X-ray with the buzz frequency.
68. "Pendellosung Radiation and Coherent Bremsstrahlung", J.C.H. Spence and G.  Reese, Acta Cryst. (P. Ewald Festschrift) 1986 Acta Cryst. A42, p. 577-585, NSF

Electron energy -loss spectroscopy.
Provides similar information to soft-Xray absorption spectra, but with nanometer spatial resolution.
2. "Observation of double plasmon excitation in aluminium", J.C.H. Spence and A.E.C. Spargo, Phys. Rev. Letters 26, 985 (1971).
70. "The electron energy loss near edge structure of Be2C", M.M. Disko, J.C.H. Spence, O.F. Sankey and D. Saldin. Phys. Rev. B. (1986) B33, p. 5642-51, ARO 83.
33. "STEM Microanalysis by Transmission Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy in Crystals", J.C.H. Spence and J. Lynch, Ultramicroscopy, 9, 267 (1982), ARO.
60. "The Structural Sensitivity of Electron Loss Near Edge Structure", J.C.H. Spence, Ultramicroscopy (1985), 18, p. 165-172, ARO 83.

Channeling effects on secondary processes, internal source holography
Electron standing waves in crystals can be used to locate foreign dopant atoms.
47. "ALCHEMI - a new technique for locating atoms in small crystals", J.C.H Spence and J. Tafto, J. Micros, 130, 147 (1983), NSF 80.
79. "Adatom site determination using channelling effects in RHEED on X-ray and Auger electron production", J.C.H. Spence and Y. Kim (1988).  in "Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction and Reflection Electron Imaging of Surfaces"  Eds. P.K. Larsen and P.J. Dobson, p. 117-128 Plenum1988 NSF 85.
"Atomic String Holography". J. Spence and C. Koch. Phys. Rev. Letts. 86, p. 5510 (2001).

In-situ observation of STM operation in a TEM
Manipulate atoms by STM and watch simultaneously by TEM
124  Investigation of STM image artifacts by in-situ reflection electron microscopy. W. Lo and J. Spence. Ultramic. (1992). 48, p.433.

Atomic-scale imaging of defects, ordering. High Tc, Dislocation kink dynamics.
The atomic structure of defects controls many materials properties.
17. "Distinguishing dissociated Shuffle and Glide set dislocations by high resolution electron microscopy", A. Olsen and J.C.H. Spence, Phil. Mag. A43, 945-965 (1980)
154 "Observation of moving dislocation kinks and pinning". H. Kolar, J. Spence and H. Alexander. Phys. Rev. Letts. 77, p. 4031-4034 (1996).  DMR 9116362 .  KinkImages
74. "Microstructure, Oxygen Ordering and planar defects in in high Tc superconductor Ba2YCu3O6.9", A. Ourmazd, J.A. Rentschler, J.C. Spence, M. O'Keeffe, R.J. Graham, D.W. Johnson and W.W. Rhodes.  Nature (1987) 327, p. 308, NSF 85.
9. "Lattice imaging in STEM", J.C.H. Spence ,J.M. Cowley, Optik, 50, 129 (1978).
170 "The enhancement of electron microscope resolution by use of atomic focusers". J. M. Cowley, J. Spence and V.V. Smirnov. Ultramic. 68, p. 135 (1997). DMR9526100
Electron nanodiffraction for dislocation kinks and core reconstruction". C. Koch, J.Spence, C. Zorman, M. Mehregany, and J. Chung. J. Phys (Cond. Matter) 12, p. 1-9 (2000).
281 "Oxygen in crystals - seeing is believing". Science. 299, p. 839 (2003) "Perspective".

Field emission nanotips, electron antibunching, low energy electron holography in biology.
131 "Brightness measurement of nanometer sized field emission electron sources". W. Qian, M. Scheinfein and J. Spence. J. Appl. Phys. 73, 7041 (1993). (DMR91-12550  Point sources.)
138 "Electron source information from Fresnel fringes in field emission point projection electron microscopy" 1993. J. Spence, W. Qian and M. Silverman. J. Vac Sci. A12. p.542 (1994).  (DMR 9116362 Atomistic processes)
122 Aberrations of emission cathodes: Nanometer diameter field emission electron
 sources. M. Scheinfein, W, Qian and J, Spence. J. Appl. Phys. 73 (1993) p.2057 - 2068  (DMR91-12550  Point sources.)
187 "Imaging of Tobacco Mosaic Virus at 40 volts by electron holography". U. Weierstall and J. Spence. Micron . In press (1999). ARO.
232 "Electron Holography of field-emitting carbon nanotubes". Cumings, Zettl, McCartney, Spence. Phys Rev Letts. 88, p.056804 (2002)
266       "Spaced out electrons". Electron antibunching. News and Views. Nature 418, p. 377 2002. J.C.H. Spence.

New electron detectors.
86. "A large dynamic range parallel detection CCD system for electron diffraction and  imaging", J.C.H. Spence and J.M. Zuo, J. Sci. Instr. 59(9), p. 2102-2105 (1988)  NSF 85.

Cathodolluminescence in STEM
Atomic-level spatial resolution with the energy resolution of optical spectroscopy.
54. "Cathodoluminescence and polarization studies of dislocations in diamond", N. Yamamoto, J.C.H. Spence and D. Fathy, Phil. Mag B49, p. 609-629 (1984), ARO 80.

Electron holography. Ferroelectrics
Electron holography allows one to map out electric and magnetic fields in solids.
160 "Theory and principles of electron holography"  J. Cowley, J. Spence. in : Intro to electron holography. Eds Allard et al.  Plenum (NY) 1996
129  "Electron holographic study of ferroelectric domain walls" J.C.H.Spence, J.M. Cowley and J.M. Zuo. Appl. Phys. Letts. 62, p. 2446 (1993)
232 "Electron holography of field-emitting carbon nanotubes". Cummings, Zettl, McCartney, Spence. Phys. Rev. Letts. 88, p.056804 (2002).

The Scanning Tunnelling Atom Probe.
Our machine combines an STM with a time-of-flight atom probe.
189 "Atomic species identification  in STM using an imaging atom-probe technique". U. Weierstall and J. Spence. Surf Sci. 398 p. 267-279. 

Inversion problem of multiple electron scattering.
Direct, non-iterative methods for recovering potentials from multiple-scattering data.
174. "Direct inversion of dynamical electron diffraction patterns to structure factors". J. Spence. Acta Cryst. A. 1998. A54 p. 7 - 18.
3. "Determination of single-scattering distribution from multiple scattering data in ELS", D Johnson, and J. Spence, J.Phys. D.7, 771 (1974).
256 "A useful disentanglement of the exponential of the sum of two non-commuting matrices, one of which is diagonal". C. T. Koch and J.C.H.Spence. J. Phys A36, 803 . (Math Phys. UK) 2003.
382 "Two-wavelength inversion of multiply-scattered soft X-ray intensities to charge density". J.C.H.Spence. Acta Cryst A65. p.28-38 (2009)

X-ray holography, diffraction-imaging, lensless imaging and powder diffraction by iterative phasing.
Images can now be reconstructed from far-field scattering from non-periodic objects. Applications to femtosecond X-ray diffraction from proteins.
241 Lensless Imaging. A Workshop on "New approaches to the Phase Problem for non-periodic objects" John C.H.Spence, M. Howells, L.D.Marks and J. Miao. Ultramic. 90, p.1-6 (2001).
237.      "Holography of atoms". J.C.H.Spence. Nature. 410, p.1037. (2001).
249       Phase recovery and lensless imaging by iterative methods in optical and electron diffraction. J.C.H.Spence, U. Weierstall and M. Howells.. Phil. Trans. 360, p.875-895 (2002). (Thomas Young bi-centenary of two slit experiment. Special issue).
289   X-ray image reconstruction from a diffraction pattern alone. S. Marchesini, H. He, H.N. Chapman, S.P. Hau-Riege, Noy, M. Howells, U. Weierstall, J.C.H. Spence.. Phys Rev      B68, 140101(R)
353 "Ab initio phasing of X-ray powder diffraction patterns by charge flipping". J.S.Wu, J.C.H.Spence, M. O'Keeffe, K. Leinenweber.  Nature Materials. 5, 647 2006.
367  "Dose, exposure time and resolution in serial crystallography". D. Starodub, P. Rez, M. Howells, D. Shapiro, H. Chapman, P. Fromme, K. Schmidt, U. Weierstall, R. Doak, J. Spence.  J. Synch Res. 15,  62-73 (2008)
388  "Triple-beam tomographic femtosecond X-ray diffractive imaging". K. Schmidt, J. Spence, U. Weierstall, D. Starodub, H. Chapman, M. Howells, B. Doak.J. Phys Rev Letts. 101, 115507  (2008)
386   "Powder diffraction from a continuous microjet of nanoscale protein crystals". D.A. Shapiro, D. De Ponte, R.B. Doak, P. Fromme, G. Hembree, M. Hunter, S. Marchesini, K. Schmidt, U. Weierstall, J.C.H.Spence.  J. Synch. Rad.  15, 593-599 (2008). (2008).
377  "Ultrafast, ultrabright, X-ray holography using a uniformly redundant array". Stefano Marchesini1,2 John C. H. Spence6 et al4. (2008) Nature Photonics 2, 560 - 563 (2008).