Reconstruction of an object from its symmetry-averaged diffraction pattern

The problem of reconstructing an object from diffraction data that has been incoherently averaged over a discrete group of symmetries is considered. A necessary condition for such data to uniquely specify the object is derived in terms of the object support and the symmetry group. An algorithm is introduced for reconstructing objects from symmetry-averaged data and its use with simulations is demonstrated. The results demonstrate the feasibility of structure determination using a recent proposal for aligning molecules by means of their anisotropic dielectric interaction with an intense light field [Spence et al. (2005). Acta Cryst. A61, 237-245].