From a microscope to a nanoscope

In this method a cell is excited by a diffraction-limited laser source. Immediately this cell is then overlaid by another laser source. This second laser has a special feature where it has a hole in the middle, a so-called doughnut-shaped beam. The result is a prevention of the effective excitation of the cell, except in the focal spot that happens to be in the central area of the doughnut-shaped beam. The remaining spot can be reduced in the circumferences to achieve a higher resolution. Molecular processes can be inspected in vivo and can also be investigated and tracked in real time.

The scanning process inside the STED microscopy has to be very fast to meet these requirements. Piezoelectical stages, tilting systems and objective positioners are suitable instruments, which are necessary in the STED setup. The objective positioners of the series MIPOS, the mirror tilting system series PSH and the z-axis scanner PZ300AP CAP AP are great examples of the product range offered by piezosystem jena, that can be used for STED microscopy. These elements can be moved to predefined positions very fast with a high precision in the nanometer range.

All the stages can be controlled with piezosystem jena amplifiers. You will find one that meets your requirements within a wide range of products with a long variety of features, such as high current, integrated function generators, filters, triggering and interfaces.