Instrumentation

Our laboratory is optimized for phenotyping large samples, therefore instrumentation is optimized for fast 3D data acquisition (ex. gas PMTs, cooled FPAs). If you are interested in a collaboration, please contact Prof. David Mayerich.

Fluorescence Microscopy

ThorLabs Cerna series laser scanning microscope:
  • Wide-field transmission imaging (with polarizer) using a 1.4 megapixel color camera
  • Epi-fluorescence imaging using a 1.4 megapixel monochrome camera
  • Confocal imaging with laser excitation at 405, 488, 532, and 642nm
  • Gas photomultiplier tubes for fast acquisition
  • Available optics:
    • Nikon 16X 0.8NA CFI75 LWD 16xW water immersion with a 3mm working distance
    • Any objectives from the Ti-E (below) can be swapped in if necessary
Nikon Eclipse Ti-E Inverted Microscope:
  • Wide-field transmission imaging using a 1.4 megapixel color camera
  • Mosaic imaging with auto-focus
  • Epi-fluorescence imaging using a 1.4 megapixel monochrome camera
  • Confocal excitation: 405, 488, 532, and 642nm
  • Galvo-galvo laser scanner allows detailed specification of pixel dwell times
    • (for fast imaging of large samples, use the Cerna)
  • Available optics:
    • Nikon PLAN FLUOR 10X 0.3NA with a 16mm WD
    • Nikon 60X 1.0NA water immersion with a 2mm WD
    • Nikon 100X 1.49NA CFI TIRF oil immersion lens optimized for super-resolution imaging
ASI diSPIM (dual inverted Selective Plane Illumination Microscope)
  • 2x Nikon CFI NIR Apo 40X 0.8NA 3.5mm WD objectives for SPIM
  • CFI Plan Apochromat 10X 0.45NA 4mm WD objective for inverted microscopy
  • 2x 2048x2048 Zyla cameras
  • SPIM excitation: 405, 488, 561, 640nm
OpenSPIM Light-Sheet Microscope

We've built an easily modified light sheet microscope based on the OpenSPIM design:

  • 488nm and 532nm 300mW laser sources
  • 2048 x 2048 30-fps ORCA-Flash4.0 LT Digital CMOS camera
  • Excitation: Olympus 10X 0.3NA
  • Detection: Olympus 20X 0.5NA
  • This system is optimized for water immersion, however other objectives can be used for air
  • Image stacks can be collected using translation and rotation

Infrared Spectroscopy

Agilent Cary 620 FTIR Imaging System

The spectrometer allows fast analysis of homogeneous samples using FTIR:

  • 128x128 liquid nitrogen-cooled MCT focal plane array detector
  • 15X 0.62NA cassegrain objective
  • pixel size: 5.5m (low mag) or 1.1m (high-mag)
  • reflection or transmission mode
  • spectral bandwidth:
    • FPA imaging: 850 to 3900 cm (UDR4) or 850 to 1900 cm (UDR8)
    • Point/mapping: 400 to 4000 cm
Daylight Solutions MIRcat Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL)

QCL tunable from 900 to 1800 cm (5.5m to 11m)