Cholesteric Liquid Crystalline DNA Textures

Cholesteric Liquid Crystalline DNA Textures

Scattered oily streak cholesteric DNA textures have merged into a large domain in the right hand side of this photomicrograph. The periodicity of the cholesteric pitch remains constant at 2-3 microns in this mesophase. The DNA concentration for this specimen was approximately 250 milligrams per millimeter, but this changes as the solvent evaporates in controlled drying experiments. The magnification is approximately 250x. Originally recorded on Fujichrome 64T transparency film using a Nikon Optiphot-Pol microscope with crossed polarized illumination, the image above was digitized using a Nikon CoolScan transparency film scanner. Exposures were recorded about 2.5 f-steps under the recommended value given by an in-camera photomultiplier and were push-processed approximately 1.5 f-steps in the first E-6 developer.

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