High Resolution and Flexibility for Microscopic Examinations of Fast, Near-Membrane Processes

Carl Zeiss infuses its imaging system for Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence microscopy with an entirely new level of quality. The TIRF system is suitable for reproducible microscopic examinations of near-cell membrane dynamic processes and interactions of single molecules in cell-free systems with high time resolution. Laser TIRF 3 can be combined with other procedures and techniques, such as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). It therefore meets user requirements in the biosciences, biophysics, biochemistry and molecular biology even more effectively.

The technical features of TIRF 3 provide users with a wide variety of experimental possibilities. The TIRF slider is available in two versions, i.e. with manual and motorized angle setting. The new laser module offers a more flexible choice of dyes. It can be equipped with up to four different solid- state lasers (405, 488 nm or Ar laser, 532 or 561, 635 nm). The laser module is AOTF-controlled and completely operable via the AxioVision software.

Additional excellent features of the imaging system include high time resolution, reproducible angle settings and therefore reproducible depths of penetration. AOTF control and angle setting are integrated into the “fast image acquisition” concept of the AxioVision software from Carl Zeiss, resulting in a markedly higher time resolution of the images. The motorized angle setting in the TIRF slider permits a given illumination angle to be set reproducibly and considerably faster than with standard systems. Together with the corrected beam path and special filter sets, the apochromatically corrected optics of the TIRF slider guarantee maximum image quality. Combining Laser TIRF 3 with incubation accessories and the Definite Focus module from Carl Zeiss enables users to reliably obtain quantitative data from their experiments even over longer periods of time. This makes Laser TIRF 3 a genuine analysis tool.