Direct structure reconstruction in HRTEM

In this paper we propose a new method for the interpretation of exit wave functions in electron microscopy. These wave functions can experimentally be obtained by an holographic wave function reconstruction technique such as focal series reconstruction, off-axis holography or ptychography. We aim at the development of an approximate method that allows to visualise the different atomic columns of the structure in terms of the 1S channelling eigenfunctions which are highly localised at the cores of the separate columns. It will be shown that this method yields very accurate lateral information, but that the technique is intrinsically rather insensitive to the chemical composition in the different columns. Nevertheless, this procedure may provide an indispensable tool for the correct interpretation of reconstructed high-resolution electron wave functions.