November 2011 European Editions Cover Picture and Story
Cover Story
The cover shows a confocal image (top) of a Drosophila embryo at stage 11, expressing the tracheal marker trh-LacZ (Cy3, red) and the cell membrane marker Dlg (Alexa 488, green). The enlarged view (below) shows invaginating tracheal placodes in X-Y (left) and Y-Z (right) projections. (Courtesy of Dr Takefumi Kondo and Dr Shigeo Hayashi at the Laboratory for Morphogenetic Signalling, RIKEN Centre for Developmental Biology, Japan.)
The new UPLSAPO30xS and UPLSAPO60xS silicon oil-immersion objectives from Olympus are ideal for live cell experiments investigating thick samples or requiring long-term imaging. Users can generate bright images at higher resolutions, since silicon oil significantly improves optical performance compared to water-based methods and offers larger working distances than oil immersion objectives. This maximises the effectiveness of brightfield, differential interference contrast, fluorescence, confocal laser scanning and multiphoton studies. Silicon oil allows users to capture bright, high resolution images of living samples, even deep into cells and tissues. This can be achieved because the refractive index of silicon oil (n = 1.40) is almost identical to that of living biological samples (n =1.38 on average) so silicon oil-immersion objectives minimise refractive index mismatch and spherical aberration. This is a key factor for improving the focal spot, which can be even further optimised to correct for temperature changes by adjusting the available correction collar. The properties of silicon oil also make it ideal for long-term, time-lapse studies since it is stable, viscous and of low volatility; it will not dry out or absorb moisture over time.
With its 30x magnification and high NA of 1.05, the UPLSAPO30xS delivers highly resolved images of an extensive sample area. The Olympus UPSLAPO60xS provides increased magnification (60x) and NA (1.30), allowing researchers to produce highly detailed live sample images using fluorescence, confocal laser scanning and multiphoton excitation techniques. This objective is also ideal for high resolution 3D imaging applications by offering improved spherical aberration correction and a shorter working distance of 0.3 mm.
Please contact: OLYMPUS EUROPA HOLDING GMBH
Katja Ansmann, Marketing Communications Manager
Tel: +49 40 2 37 73 - 5913
Fax: +49 40 2 37 73 - 4784
E-mail: microscopy@olympus-europa.com
www.microscopy.olympus.eu
