CCMR’s popular Asylum MFP-3D-BIO atomic force scanning probe microscope is built atop an Olympus IX71 inverted optical microscope. Epifluorescence microscopy is now possible with the addition of a SOLA excitation light source, a collection of epifluorescence filter cubes, a variety of objective lenses, and a low-noise Andor Zyla 4.2 Scientific CMOS imaging detector. The epifluorescence imaging capability is now available for general use.
CCMR currently provides three filter cubes, in addition to the original set supporting standard bright-field imaging:
Filter cube | Excitation range | Dichroic cut-on wavelength | Emission range |
Olympus U-MBF3 | Visible | N/A | Visible |
Chroma 39007 | 590-640
(orange-red) |
654
(red) |
670-720
(red-infrared) |
Olympus U-MNIBA | 470-495
(blue) |
505
(green) |
510-550
(green) |
Olympus U-MNG | 530-550
(green) |
570
(yellow) |
590+
(yellow-orange-red) |
These three filters were used to generate a composite red/green/blue image of an array of 10-15 um spheres tagged with three different fluorophores. The detector can operate in 12- or 16-bit mode, with low read noise and dark current, allowing detection of even weakly fluorescing samples.
We currently have room to accommodate two additional filter cubes, and welcome suggestions for additional filter cubes that are necessary for your research. The cubes we already have will support the following:
If you have questions or are interested in using the microscope, please contact Steve Kriske (kriske@cornell.edu).