Biomaterial Database

Light microscope alignment methods. 2014

Robert Bagnell

Microscopy Services Laboratory, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 101 Manning Drive, 27599, Chapel Hill, NC, USA, rml@med.unc.edu.

Instructions for proper alignment for each of the most common wide field light microscopy contrast techniques are presented: bright field, polarization, dark field, phase contrast, differential interference contrast, and fluorescence. These are then followed by methods on photomicrography, measurement, and cleaning. An extensive set of Notes provides practical tips for each of these methods.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008027	Light	That portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared range.	Light, Visible,Photoradiation,Radiation, Visible,Visible Radiation,Photoradiations,Radiations, Visible,Visible Light,Visible Radiations
D008853	Microscopy	The use of instrumentation and techniques for visualizing material and details that cannot be seen by the unaided eye. It is usually done by enlarging images, transmitted by light or electron beams, with optical or magnetic lenses that magnify the entire image field. With scanning microscopy, images are generated by collecting output from the specimen in a point-by-point fashion, on a magnified scale, as it is scanned by a narrow beam of light or electrons, a laser, a conductive probe, or a topographical probe.	Compound Microscopy,Hand-Held Microscopy,Light Microscopy,Optical Microscopy,Simple Microscopy,Hand Held Microscopy,Microscopy, Compound,Microscopy, Hand-Held,Microscopy, Light,Microscopy, Optical,Microscopy, Simple
D008856	Microscopy, Fluorescence	Microscopy of specimens stained with fluorescent dye (usually fluorescein isothiocyanate) or of naturally fluorescent materials, which emit light when exposed to ultraviolet or blue light. Immunofluorescence microscopy utilizes antibodies that are labeled with fluorescent dye.	Fluorescence Microscopy,Immunofluorescence Microscopy,Microscopy, Immunofluorescence,Fluorescence Microscopies,Immunofluorescence Microscopies,Microscopies, Fluorescence,Microscopies, Immunofluorescence
D055620	Optical Phenomena	LIGHT, its processes and properties, and the characteristics of materials interacting with it.	Optical Concepts,Optical Processes,Optical Phenomenon,Optical Process,Concept, Optical,Concepts, Optical,Optical Concept,Phenomena, Optical,Phenomenon, Optical,Process, Optical,Processes, Optical