τompas: a free and integrated tool for online crystallographic analysis in transmission electron microscopy

Abstract

τompas (TEM online multi-purpose analyzing system) is a free and integrated software tool designed to perform online crystallographic analysis in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments. By using sample holder tilt angles as input, τompas can simultaneously simulate pole figures, Kikuchi patterns and feature projections, providing graphical views of the sample crystallography. These simulations are further employed to navigate sample tilting and to quickly interpret experimental Kikuchi patterns and images by image matching, giving self-consistent indices of features and crystal orientations. These functions are integrated with mouse operations to improve work efficiency. τompas is distributed as a small cross-platform program that can be installed on a microscope computer to cooperate with other tools.