Every science invention is based on an experiment. This experiment needs several utensils to reach the aim. In biology enlargers are needed to study cells and molecules. They are called microscopes.
A microscope can be based on di erent physical principles. There are electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy and light microscopy. Ernst Abbe de ned the resolution limit of a lens in the classical light microscopy in 1873. However today it is possible to overcome this limit, respectively to get around it, by the help of fluorescence microscopy.
An important element in these microscopes is the light source. It must be monochromatic and coherent. Therefore lasers are used for excitation. It is an advantage to have multiple lasers in a single setup, because there are various fluorescent dyes. So it is possible to mark di fferent cell components and study their interactions. Furthermore infrared and ultraviolet lasers are used for several applications.
The infrared laser (ir-laser) is often used to get melanin to auto fluorescence. These method is especially applied in ophthalmology [1].
The ultraviolet laser (uv-laser) can illuminate the standard fluorescent dye Dapi [2]. In addition with an uv-laser it is possible to switch o or switch on dyes [3]. These can be used by localisation microscopy.
My bachelor thesis is about TIRF-microscope. I install an ir- and uv-laser to illuminate the microscope. There are already three lasers integrated with the wavelength 488nm, 568nm and 647nm. The uv-laser has a wavelength of 404nm. It was installed in former times in this lab, but was removed. The ir-laser (808nm) is newly ordered and nds initial use in this lab. |
