Microscopy Flashcards
What is the function of the microscopy?
Using microscopes to view objects/specimens that are not visible to the naked eye
What are the parts of the microscope?
- Detector (PMT, CCD)
- Objective (+/- immersion medium)
- Specimen (cover glass)
- Light conditioning system
- > Kohler illumination
- > Phase ring
- > Wollaston prism and polarizers
- > Filter cubes (for fluorescence)
- Light source (Halogen, XBO,…)
Why is a light source needed?
A light source is needed but can be modified depending on the complexity of the microscope
Describe the light path of a light source
- Light reaches the specimen and enables us to see the sample
- Goes through the lenses and then we can see the image
- The computer generates the image
Why is a cover glass of the same thickness used?
To maintain standard across all the microscopes with a cover glass of the same thickness
What is ‘The Box’?
It is a box used to prevent focus instability.
It controls CO2 and temp
Why is an incubator box used?
It is used to stop small changes in temperature leading to thermal extension or contraction of the microscope stand, stage, and objective. Also combined with a precision air heater ensures the temp of a specimen and microscope remain constant.
Why is there a controller on the box?
Allows adjusting airflow and the %CO2. - also, guide the gas stream through a bottle of water in order to diminish the loss of humidity
Why is there an airtight tabletop?
It encloses the live cell culture device
What is the issue if it takes too long to observe something under a microscope?
May be problems with maintaining the stability and the liability of the sample such as CO2 and temp.
What is the issue if you capture too fast with a microscope?
Need to distinguish the sample, it can be hard to capture, need to capture the exact sample and not its surroundings. Can compromise the resolution when taking a picture of the fast-moving image
What is the triangle of frustration?
- Temporal resolution
- Sensitivity
- Spatial resolution
A particular point or moving around
Why is it important to adjust spatial resolution?
- Used to capture a fast-moving image: sacrifice the resolution to capture the movement
- Use the triangle and sacrifice one thing or another
What are magnifiers?
A high-quality piece of glass in a vertical way. Allows to see things bigger
What is magnification?
The number represents how big the objective can magnify
What are the applications of the different magnifiers?
Modification of the light for different applications can make sure it is suitable for the specific use. All microscopes are set in a way that they can be used to their best ability.
Why are emersion mediums needed?
- As not all objective lens are ready to see the sample just through air = needs to be immersed in a different medium such as water or oil -cannot function without the emersion.
What does the aperture of the objective determine?
The resolution on the microscopy. The higer the numerical aperture, the better the resolution power of the objectives. The resolution does not cause magnification.
What is the difference between resolution and magnification?
Resolution refers to the detail of the picture. It can have the same magnification between two pictures but have different numerical aperture. The higher numerical aperture means more detail. Numerical aperture is linked to resolution but not to magnification.
Structure of a light microscopy
- Can have bright field and a fluorescence mode
- Has a light source, objectives and sample plane
- As well as, Polarizer, Wollaston Prism, Condenser, Phase Ring
Describe how absorption and emission can cause flourescence
- Energy is generated and a wavelength is exicted. (The molecules that have been excited meet another wavelength)
- The wavelength excites the molecule and reaches a peak.
- Then, this starts to lose energy and the different wavelength is emitted.
- Light/Fluorescence is emitted
What is the Stoke’s Shfit?
Due to energy loss the emitted light is shifted to longer wavelength relative to the excitation light. The environment causes the cycle to break known as stokes shift.
Define the stokes shift
The difference between wavelength of the molecule of interest and the wavelength of the emitted wavelength
What is photobleaching of the fluorochromes?
- Due to high intensity illumination.
- The fluorophores might lose permanently their ability to emit light.
- The gain of energy cannot be released anymore as an emission fluorescence- through time to see is decreased.
