Lastek: Photonics Technology Solutions

Abberior Instruments presents two-color superresolution STED microscope with a pulsed STED laser @ 775 nm

• Multicolor confocal scanning system with variable pinhole size
• Detector gating with up to 4 gates
• Accessible optomechanical design, open electronics and software platform, ready to implement your own imaging ideas
• Zero-compromize on performance - get the best resolution performance possible in STED microscopy
• QUAD beam scanner technology
• We offer unrivaled flexibility in customizing the microscope to your applications

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Two-color superresolution STED microscope with a pulsed STED laser @ 595 nm

• Multicolor confocal scanning system with variable pinhole size
• Detector gating with up to 4 gates
• Accessible optomechanical design, open electronics and software platform, ready to implement your own imaging ideas
• Zero-compromize on performance - get the best resolution performance possible in STED microscopy
• QUAD beam scanner technology
• We offer unrivaled flexibility in customizing the microscope to your applications

We install Your turn-key Abberior 2-color STED 595 QUAD scanning nanoscope in your lab including software/handling training.

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Recording living cells is a challenge all by itself. Additionally, when doing live-cell super-resolution imaging on living cells, there is a multitude of things to take care of at the same time.  

To enable you to focus on getting the best images, Abberior Instruments offers a unique live-cell package with its STED and RESOLFT microscopes including a continuous STED autofocus, RESCue-STED and more:

• Pulsed STED at 595 nm / 775 nm, and
• RESCue STED:  They combine to reduce the light dose in your sample to the absolute minimum.
• Water immersion objective lenses:  Use the optimal immersion for watery living samples.
• Overnight Remote Control:  For automating those tedious late-night experiments.
• Continuous STED autofocus:  Stay sharp and in focus over hours.
• Samples may be heated up to 37° using incubation chambers.

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Abberior Instruments RESCue STED is a STED imaging mode dedicated to live-cell imaging with saving up to 96% of the light dose without compromising the resolution.  

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Abberior Instruments announce DyNIM STED: Dynamic Minimum intelligent light dose management for live cell imaging.

Key Benefits of DyMIN STED:

• The only live-cell superresolution microscope with resolutions down to 25 nm* (*only depending on the sample) - DyMIN STED dramatically reduces the light irradiation on your sample (up to two orders of magnitude) and features the lowest light dose of all superresolution methods.
• Resolution truly down to 25 nm - As demonstrated by separating two fluorescent point-structures being 30 nm apart.
• Volume / time-lapse imaging with easy3D STED resolution - DyMIN STED substancially reduces photobleaching and enables long term measurements over volumes or over dozens and dozens of frames.

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The combination of the Abberior Instruments STED system with the Becker & Hickl Simple-Tau 150/154 TCSPC FLIM system records FLIM data at a spatial resolution of better than 40 nm. The image format can be as large as 2048 x 2048 pixels, with 256 time channels per pixel. An image area of 40 x 40 micrometers can thus be covered with 20 nm pixel size, fully satisfying the Nyquist criterion. The system benefits from Windows 64 bit technology used both in the Abberior and in the bh data acquisition software, from the combined processing power of the two system computers, and the high data throughput of up to four parallel TCSPC FLIM channels. The system achieves peak count rates in excess of 5 MHz per FLIM channel, resulting in unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio and short acquisition time.

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3D-protected STED imaging of neuron in living brain tissue. 3D-rendering of a 3D-image stack of a living neuron expressing the AC-rsEGFP2 actin label in a hippocampal brain slice. Protected STED was applied with resolution enhancement in the xy and z directions. The image shows a stretch of dendrite with dendritic spines. The stack corresponds to 56 z slices spaced by 80 nm. Scale bar: 1 µm.

Abberior Instruments Protected STED technique has been highlighted in a new January 2016 paper in Nature Photonics. Full paper available for download here.

Coordinate-targeted Fluorescence nanoscopy with multiple off states

Johann G. Danzl*†, Sven C. Sidenstein†, Carola Gregor, Nicolai T. Urban, Peter Ilgen, Stefan Jakobs and Stefan W. Hell*

Nature Photonics: Published Online 18 January 2016 DOI: 10.1038/NPHOTON 2015.266

Abstract: By exploiting a second off state of a reversibly switchable fluorophore, a general approach that can reduce photobleaching and enhance resolution of coordinate-targeted fluorescence nanoscopy has been demonstrated.

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Abberior Instruments and JPK Instruments have successfully integrated the Abberior Instruments STED microscope and the JPK NanoWizard® 4 AFM, to achieve correlative STED + AFM.

• Correlative STED + AFM measurements
• Several STED and confocal imaging modes (2D & 3D STED, single & multi color, time laps, 3D stacks, FLIM, RESCue)
• Several AFM imaging modes (including AFM manipulation modes)
• Simultaneous STED and AFM imaging possible
• Very high accuracy (~15 nm) of the DirectOverlayTM (function of the JPK software) of the STED and AFM image
• AFM manipulation with subdiffraction positioning accuracy.

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Abberior Instruments is proud to announce its new easy3D STED module which uses a completely novel approach to 3D STED microscopy. At its core, a programmable spatial light modulator (SLM) is used to create the phase patterns required for 2D and 3D STED microscopy. At the same time, it can also be used to correct for optical aberrations.

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Abberior Instruments is known for extraordinary customization ability of its flexible STED microscope platform. We now take things in a different direction. We have developed a completely new instrument, the ultimate compact STED plus confocal microscope, called STEDYCON.

STEDYCON is a completely new class of nanoscope. It converts your conventional epifluorescence microscope into a powerful multicolor confocal and STED system! At the same time, it is incredibly compact and can be used by anyone!

• Convert your existing microscope - Instantly upgrade any epifluorescence microscope body to multicolor confocal and STED capabilities.
• Get top-notch STED performance - With STEDYCON your microscope will image at 30nm resolution.
• Save Space - The incredibly compact STEDYCON comes at the size of a camera.
• Plug & Play - The STEDYCON is assembled within minutes. It simply connects to the C-mount camera port of your microscope with no need for optical alignment.
• Service and maintenance free - The laser beams of the STEDYCON are aligned by design as provided by its patent-protected 'easySTED' optical arrangement.
• Innovative web-based user interface - The STEDYCON can be controlled via a browser on any PC, MAC or even a tablet!

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