Nikon Europe BV
Sabrina Delattre
Workshop Room 13
Since its launch in April 2021, the Nikon point scanning confocal microscope AX has continuously grown with new addon releases making it even more versatile and responding to the constant requirements of the scientific community. Last year we demonstrated the capability of the NSPARC (Nikon Spatial Array Confocal) detector for extremely low noise detection and improved resolution. The program of this year is no exception, in which we wish to showcase new laser solutions for the AX confocal Series.
The AX can be equipped with a 730nm laser and NIR (Near InfraRed) detectors responding to the increased demand for multicolor imaging. NIR imaging is known to have low phototoxicity/photobleaching to the specimen as it utilizes a longer wavelength to excite the sample and thus is an optimal method to combine with the gentleness of the AX R resonant scanner. The detection of the NIR signal can be delicate, but the AX main detector can be supplied with dedicated photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) with increased quantum efficiency (QE) in the NIR region. The sensitivity and detection of signals are not only defined by QE but are a combination of different aspects. The AX is equipped with a hexagonal pinhole which allows up to 30% increase in light collection compared to a regular square pinhole. The AX detector is designed to reduce the background noise allowing high sensitivity, high-quality images. Finally, the overall optical design is made so that the detection is extremely efficient making the AX R series remarkably performant to detect visible and NIR signals.
Adding an extra dimension through Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM) is another advantage that the AX R Series is offering. FLIM basic analysis (lifetime decay curve, phasor plot, time trace…) and acquisitions (large image, z stack, multipoint…) are neatly implemented in Nikon NIS-Elements software while the power of advanced analysis by PicoQuant Symphotime software can easily be accessed from NIS-Elements. With the constant support and collaboration from PicoQuant we have been working on pushing even further the implementation of AX with FLIM.
So do not wait and register for our AX workshop and be the first to discover what we have been working on!