Microscope objectives

Microscope objectives are key components of optical microscopes, but they also equip experimental set-ups to focus laser beams or to collect photons emitted from any physical events to analyze or to diagnose. There are properties to take into account about their specifications and their usage for selecting the right microscope objective. They are used in a wide range of applications, from life sciences to material sciences, in laboratories and in industries and each application requires a specific microscope objective.

Pros and Cons of the Exoscope for Otologic Surgery

Introduction. There are a few discussions regarding usefulness of an exoscope in otologic surgery compared to a traditional microscope. Objective. The pros and cons of using a newly developed exoscope (ORBEYE™) during microotologic surgery were evaluated. Methods. The usefulness of the ORBEYE™ exoscope was retrospectively assessed in 6 otologic surgeries by 8 surgeons postoperatively. A questionnaire comprising 20 questions was designed and used for evaluation. Results. All the otologic surgeons agreed that the exoscope is useful as an educational tool; the exoscope had the highest score in the questionnaire (average: 4.75). The question “Will the ORBEYETM exoscope replace the conventional tympanoplasty or stapes surgery?” had the lowest score (average: 3.13). Conclusions. The quality of the images and movies in the exoscope was considered to be high and improved; therefore, the exoscope was considered as a useful educational tool in otologic surgery. Similar to otologic endoscopic surgery, all the members such as the operator and assistants could head up and share 1 image.

Direct Fabrication of sub 100 nm Nanoneedles in Silver using Femtosecond Laser Direct Writing

Novel methods for production of nanomaterials are urgently needed for various applications, especially in defence. In this work, we propose a direct method to produce silver nanoneedles using the femtosecond laser direct writing (LDW) technique. Femtosecond pulses were focused by a microscope objective on to a metal sheet to produce the nanoneedles. Nanoneedles of required dimensions were fabricated with a simple replacement of microscope objective of different numerical aperture. Further, we have investigated the effect of confinement. Finally, the application of nanoneedles is demonstrated for trace level detection of picric acid using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and a field deployable portable Raman spectrometer.