Re: Changing system from NIR (two-photon) to UV

Posted by Rosemary.White on
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/Changing-system-from-NIR-two-photon-to-UV-tp1694402p1695309.html

HI Esteban,

If you’re going to real UV, rather than just 405 nm, you need UV-transmitting optics, which means all of the optics in the light path, including the objectives, need to be replaced, and this really is quite expensive.  The instrument usually has to go back to the factory, too.  We added 405 nm laser to our confocal, which was much less expensive and could be done on site (was done in a day, tested and calibrated the next day), but still needed some change in scan head optics because this laser (in the Leica SP2 system) has a separate light path.  The short answer is that it’s not straightforward and a major service visit and repair could well be cheaper than installing even the 405 nm laser.

good luck,
cheers,
Rosemary

Rosemary White
CSIRO Plant Industry
GPO Box 1600
Canberra, ACT 2601
Australia

ph 61 2 6246 5475
fx 61 2 6246 5334


On 24/12/08 3:47 AM, "G. Esteban Fernandez" <g.esteban.fernandez@...> wrote:

Hello all,
 
On our Zeiss LSM 510 META two-photon system we have a Coherent Chameleon NIR laser that may need major repair.  Coherent has been very good in providing remote technical assistance to us but we're at a point where a service visit is required and we're not under contract.  Since we do more shallow imaging of UV dyes like DAPI on that system that two-photon imaging, we would replace the NIR laser with UV if it is more cost-effective than repairing the NIR.  Zeiss says a switch from NIR to UV would require a major (and pricey) overhaul of the optics.  I don't know what that entails but it is understandable given the huge difference in wavelength.  However, I wonder how badly out of focus or aberrated the UV image would actually be with the optics that are already in place if we put a UV laser in there in place of the NIR; we do have a UV laser dichroic.  Might it be good enough for at least localizing nuclei? (I do know how to do non-confocal UV imaging on the system)  Can people advise on an NIR-to-UV swap of lasers?
 
Thanks,
Esteban