Ultra-fast bright tracking microscope

We have an ultra-fast Photron camera attached to a bright field inverted microscope with a bright green LED. The environment of the microscope is optimized to reduce the effects of external vibrations (there is an active noise cancellation table, a layer of acoustic isolation foam and a large floated optical table). We have successfully used the microscope to track particles at high speeds (~30,000 fps) in a variety of systems. The resolution on the particle tracks tends to be ~10 nm. For example, we have studied organelles in live Amoeba proteus, gold nanoparticles in human cancer cells, the microrheology of antibodies for immunotherapies, the motility of bacteria and the microrheology of bacterial biofilms. The apparatus also functions well with complex fluids, such as surfactants in lamellar gels, polyelectrolytes (e.g. aggrecans and mucins) and polymers.