PhotoFluorII – Ultra-Stable White Light Source for Microscopy

Power

The intensity of the PhotoFluor II exceeds that of a typical 120W lamp and rivals that of a standard 100W mercury arc, without the problems associated with arc lamps. Greater power reduces capture times, which helps to prevent photobleaching.

Unlike similar microscope light sources, which may only be operating at 50% of their initial power after just 25% of their bulb life, the PhotoFluorII remains bright. The output power stays on average above 75% for the total bulb life.

The PhotoFluorII also reduces downtime. Mercury and other bulb based white light sources only last 100 or 200 hours and need re-alignment after replacement. However, the PhotoFluor II has a 1600-hour lamp life and never requires alignment, which gives a consistent quality of illumination.

Like older microscope white light sources, the PhotoFluorII has output at the peaks traditionally required for fluorescence microscopy. In addition, the common drop in output at 480nm (e.g. FITC, GFP) is significantly less pronounced than with other sources. This ensures better imaging with these common fluorophores.

Some microscopy applications require a lower output to avoid damage to the sample caused by over-exposure. Both the keypad and software give you control over the light intensity and shutter. This allows you to expose your sample to the correct light level at the right time.

Stability

Compared to traditional metal halide light sources, the PhotoFluorII has excellent long and short-term stability.

To quantitate sequential fluorescence images accurately, the output of your microscope light source needs to remain constant between exposures. The stable output intensity provided by the PhotoFluorII light source allows truly quantitative fluorescence imaging. This enables you to compare results taken from experiments at different times.

Camera integration times continue to shorten, making short-term stability increasingly important. A DC power supply and specially developed electronics stabilise lamp output over time for minimal fluctuation even at very short exposure or integration times.

The combination of a powerful self-aligning 200W metal halide lamp with a sputtered ir-blocking optic delivers exceptional light output from 340nm to 650nm. The high-efficiency IR blocking optic protects the camera to reduce background and improve the signal to noise ratio.

Software control interface features:

• Control the shutter with a mouse click
• Choose filter position or advance wheel
• Power standby
• Easily change settings and rename wheel contents
• Enables control with light source under bench or out of the way
• Serial control with opportunity to customize the code for your application

Product Code	Data Sheet	Quotation
PhotoFluor II	photofluor.pdf	Qty:

Long Term Stability of Light Sources

PhotoFluor II (green) and 120 W metal halide source (grey) measured at microscope stage over 14 hours. Power meter measured output of a field of fluorescent beads (Tetraspecks) using a 49004 filter set (excitation from 533 nm to 558 nm), sampling every 5 seconds. Initial brightness of PhotoFluor II was decreased to match that of the 120 W light source. 20 X objective used with a 0.5 ND filter

Short Term Stability of Light Sources

PhotoFluor II run at 60% output to match 100% power levels of the 120 W metal halide source. Light guide to collimating adapter to 0.5 ND filter to HQ470/40x filter to silicon detector, measurements followed by A/D conversion. Sampling at 2000 Hz for five seconds. 49004 filter set used with Tetraspeck slide. 20 X objective.