Notizie

Nikon Introduces Reduced-Halo Phase Contrast Technique - Makes Unstained Living Cellular Structures Clearly Visible

mag 8, 2000

Nikon now offers a new series of objectives designed to markedly reduce the halos that occur in phase objects that are observed using conventional phase contrast microscopy. Designed for use with Nikon's recently introduced TS 100 inverted microscopes, the new ADL objectives allow clear visualization of fine detail that was never before visible within living cells.

Using a patent-pending process, the new microscope optics reduce the unwanted halos that are routinely caused by large phase shifts around the periphery of cellular objects being observed. The technique uses a special method to absorb and attenuate diffracted light from the edges of objects, thus vastly reducing the intensity of the phase halo rings that can obscure important edge information.

As a result, when observing or photographing unstained specimens or living tissue, the new Nikon method allows the clear imaging of minute structures inside living cells and other thick specimens that used to be obscured by bright rings of light. No other technique can reduce these halos to nearly the same degree.

The new Nikon ADL Apodized Phase Contrast objectives for the Eclipse TS 100 inverted microscope come in magnifications of 10x, 20x LWD and 40x LWD. In addition to Reduced Halo effect, they also offer all of the other advantages of Nikon's Eclipse CFI60 optical system -- they offer brighter, flatter images with higher contrast from edge to edge. CFI60 optics offer the highest numerical apertures (NAs) and longest working distances overall, of any optical system available.