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Darkfield Microscopy
Interactive Tutorials

These interactive tutorials are designed to complement text pages by allowing students to use a web browser to simulate configuration and operation of a microscope under darkfield illumination. Both the theory and practice of darkfield microscopy are addressed by the tutorials.

Specimen Illumination With Darkfield Condensers - This tutorial demonstrates how a specimen interacts with the hollow cone of light emitted by a darkfield condenser. By moving the specimen into and out of the light cone, the student can visualize how light is refracted, reflected, and diffracted into the microscope objective.

Darkfield Abbe Condensers - Explore how a hollow cone of light is produced using a simple Abbe condenser with opaque light stops placed at strategic locations within the condenser. The tutorials allow students to toggle between light stops of different diameters to modulate the size of the light cone.

Hollow Light Cone Numerical Aperture - High numerical aperture reflecting darkfield condensers produce hollow light cones having a broad range of numerical apertures. This tutorial allows the visitor to adjust the light cone numerical aperture in a virtual paraboloid condenser.

Darkfield Condenser Adjustment - Students can practice focusing a specimen and adjusting the opaque stop size and condenser position with this interactive tutorial. Sliders control focus, condenser translation both vertically and laterally, and light stop size, demonstrating the effect on image quality resulting from a wide range of configurations.

Catadioptric Darkfield Reflected Light Objectives - Discover how light that is diffracted, refracted, and reflected by a specimen enters the front lens of a darkfield objective in reflected light microscopy.

Contributing Authors

Mortimer Abramowitz - Olympus America, Inc., Two Corporate Center Drive., Melville, New York, 11747.

Kirill I. Tchourioukanov and Michael W. Davidson - National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 East Paul Dirac Dr., The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32310.


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