Instrument Name:

Nikon A1R Upright Confocal Microscope  Room: X211

Introduction

The Nikon A1R manual upright confocal microscope can be used for brightfield, fluorescence and confocal imaging, with steady-state resolution XY ≤ 150 nm and Z ≤ 300 nm (depending on emission wavelength). It consists of two sets of electric Z-axis control systems: one is an independent movable Z-Deck with ±0.2 μm repeatability, 10 nm step accuracy and 65 mm×65 mm moving range (XY); the other is an objective Piezo fast Z-axis with 1.25 nm stepping accuracy, 5 nm repeatability and 120 Hz frequency, enabling 3D imaging of time-resolved samples and fast, accurate Z-axis switching. It supports large-image stitching for whole-sample overview. Equipped with a high-NA water objective for in vivo imaging of small animals, and a resonant scanning mirror at 1024×1024 resolution, 15 fps (bidirectional scanning).

Application

High-resolution large-field mosaic imaging can be performed on stained marker samples in vitro. Live imaging of small animal models such as rats and mice is supported, enabling ultra-high-speed imaging of living cells or in vivo samples for rapidly changing applications such as blood flow and ion concentration detection, as well as precise positioning at any designated single-cell region for FRAP experiments.

Key Technical Specifications

Laser:

405nm(50mW), 488nm(50mW), 561nm(50mW), 640nm(50mW)

Imaging Mode:

Transmitted light brightfield and fluorescence imaging (DAPI, FITC, TxRed, mCherry)

Detector:

Four fixed channels: 1ch DAPI PMT; 2ch FITC GaAsP PMT; 3ch TxRed GaAsP PMT; 4ch mCherry PMT

Objectives (new arrival):

CFI Plan Apo 10× (Air, NA=0.45, WD=4.0 mm); CFI Plan Apo 20× (Air, NA=0.75, WD=1.0 mm); CFI Plan Apo 40× (Air, NA=0.95, WD=0.25-0.16 mm, cover-glass correction 0.11-0.23 mm); CFI Plan Fluor 40× (Oil, NA=1.3, WD=0.24 mm); CFI75 Apo 25× CW 1300 (Water, NA=1.10, WD=2.00 mm), for confocal and multiphoton

Resolution:

Confocal mode XY ≤ 150 nm, Z ≤ 300 nm (depending on emission wavelength)

Scan Resolution:

Highest scan resolution ≥ 4096×4096 pixels; optical zoom ≥ 1–1000× (continuous)

Scan Mode:

Galvano mode: 512×512 (4 fluorescence + 1 transmission channels), 10 fps; Resonant mode: 512×512, 30 fps

Image Processing Software:

NIS-Elements C-ER analysis software with confocal super-resolution (1.5× XY, 1.7× Z), 3D reconstruction, structure measurement, fluorescence intensity analysis, co-localization analysis