Development of the method of laser Doppler spectroscopy of nanoparticles in liquids and implementation of the method in the LAD-079 spectrometer

In this work, a method for physicochemical and biological optical studies of the nanoparticles size distribution is developed. Its implementation in the LAD-079 spectrometer is described. The distinctive features of the LAD-079 spectrometer include the following. Multi-angle parallel measurements of static and dynamic light scattering, scattering angle from 0–180 degrees. Probing at three wavelengths with the ability to analyze the polarization activity of the sample (488 nm, 532 nm, 650 nm). Programmable precision thermostat with an error less than 0.1 °C in the range 0 ÷ +80°C with the possibility of building and software implementation of the experiment plan. Robust monobloc design of the spectrometer that does not require adjustments and a special optical table. The ability to measure the size of dispersed nanoparticles in low-transparent liquids.

A beamline-compatible STED microscope for combined visible-light and X-ray studies of biological matter

A dedicated stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscope had been designed and implemented into the Göttingen Instrument for Nano-Imaging with X-rays (GINIX) at the synchrotron beamline P10 of the PETRA III storage ring (DESY, Hamburg). The microscope was installed on the same optical table used for X-ray holography and scanning small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Scanning SAXS was implemented with the Kirkpatrick–Baez (KB) nano-focusing optics of GINIX, while X-ray holography used a combined KB and X-ray waveguide optical system for full-field projection recordings at a defocus position of the object. The STED optical axis was aligned (anti-)parallel to the focused synchrotron beam and was laterally displaced from the KB focus. This close proximity between the STED and the X-ray probe enabled in situ combined recordings on the same biological cell, tissue or any other biomolecular sample, using the same environment and mounting. Here, the instrumentation and experimental details of this correlative microscopy approach are described, as first published in our preceding work [Bernhardt et al. (2018), Nat. Commun. 9, 3641], and the capabilities of correlative STED microscopy, X-ray holography and scanning SAXS are illustrated by presenting additional datasets on cardiac tissue cells with labeled actin cytoskeleton.

Investigation of the dynamic efficiency of complex passive low-frequency vibration isolation systems

In this study, the theoretical and experimental investigations of the dynamics of complex passive low-frequency vibration systems are described. It is shown that a complex system consisting of a vibrating platform, an optical table and a vibration isolation system of quasi-zero stiffness loaded by a certain mass may isolate low-frequency vibrations in a narrow frequency range only. In another case, the system does not isolate vibrations; it even operates as an amplifier. The frequencies that ensure the top efficiency of the vibration damping system of quasi-zero stiffness were established.

Optical laboratory facilities at the Finnish Meteorological Institute – Arctic Research Centre

This paper describes the laboratory facilities at the Finnish Meteorological Institute – Arctic Research Centre (FMI-ARC, http://fmiarc.fmi.fi). They comprise an optical laboratory, a facility for biological studies, and an office. A dark room has been built, in which an optical table and a fixed lamp test system are set up, and the electronics allow high-precision adjustment of the current. The Brewer spectroradiometer, NILU-UV multifilter radiometer, and Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD) spectroradiometer of the FMI-ARC are regularly calibrated or checked for stability in the laboratory. The facilities are ideal for responding to the needs of international multidisciplinary research, giving the possibility to calibrate and characterize the research instruments as well as handle and store samples.

Design and Construction of VUES: The Vilnius University Echelle Spectrograph

In February 2014, the Yale Exoplanet Laboratory was commissioned to design, build, and deliver a high resolution ([Formula: see text]) spectrograph for the 1.65[Formula: see text]m telescope at the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory. The observatory is operated by the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy at Vilnius University. The Vilnius University Echelle Spectrograph (VUES) is a white-pupil design that is fed via an octagonal fiber from the telescope and has an operational bandpass from 400[Formula: see text]nm to 880[Formula: see text]nm. VUES incorporates a novel modular optomechanical design that allows for quick assembly and alignment on commercial optical tables. This approach allowed the spectrograph to be assembled and commissioned at Yale using lab optical tables and then reassembled at the observatory on a different optical table with excellent repeatability. The assembly and alignment process for the spectrograph was reduced to a few days, allowing the spectrograph to be completely disassembled for shipment to Lithuania, and then installed at the observatory during a 10-day period in June of 2015.

Optical laboratory facilities at the Finnish Meteorological Institute – Arctic Research Centre

This paper describes the laboratory facilities at the Finnish Meteorological Institute – Arctic Research Centre (FMI-ARC). They comprise an optical laboratory, a facility for biological studies and an office. A dark room has been built, in which an optical table and a fixed lamp test system are set up, and the electronics allow high precision adjustment of the current. The Brewer spectroradiometer, NILU-UV multifilter radiometer and ASD spectroradiometer of the FMI-ARC are regularly calibrated or checked for stability in the laboratory. The facilities are ideal for responding to the needs of international multidisciplinary research, giving the possibility to calibrate and characterize the research instruments as well as handle and store samples.