Spectrophotometers measure a light beam’s intensity as a function of its color (wavelength). Important features of spectrophotometers are spectral bandwidth (the range of colors it can transmit through the test sample), the percentage of sample-transmission, the logarithmic range of sample-absorption, and sometimes a percentage of reflectance measurement. A spectrophotometer is commonly used for the measurement…

A spectrometer is any instrument used to measure the wavelengths and intensities of a physical characteristic over a given range, i.e. spectrum.  The property being measured is usually intensity of light, but other variables like polarization can also be measured. Technically, a spectrometer can function over any range of light, but most operate in a…

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have built a novel microscope that provides a “chemical lens” for viewing biological systems including cell membranes and biofilms. The tool could advance the understanding of complex biological interactions, such as those between microbes and plants. The noninvasive instrument, detailed in Optics Letters, allows researchers to capture images using ultrashort…

trinamiX, a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF, today announced it has developed a new application for its mobile Near-Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy Solutions to simplify plastic sorting and recycling. Using trinamiX technology, the diverse compositions of different plastics can now be precisely determined and thus distinguished via the simple use of a portable handheld device that…

JEOL’s new Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope, the JSM-IT800, is the company’s top-of-the-line microscope with ultrahigh spatial resolution imaging and analysis at the nanoscale. Capabilities include up to 2,000,000 x magnification and an accelerating voltage range of 0.01 to 30 kV, making it possible to acquire stunning details of nanostructures as well as comprehensive analysis…

By Sarah Olson Michel The clock is ticking when a neurosurgeon is trying to remove a brain tumor but also determining its malignancy and type. Instead of sending samples to a lab where the necessary testing equipment resides to answer those questions, a Purdue scientist is working on shrinking that equipment for use in the…

Park Systems, manufacturer of Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM), announces Park NX-TSH, automated Tip Scan Head for large sample analysis over 300 mm. Park NX-TSH is for large and heavy sample flat panel display glass and features conductive AFM for electric defect analysis by integrating a micro probe station. Park Systems will have a live demo…

The Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Exploris portfolio of high-resolution, accurate-mass (HRAM) systems, which launched in 2019 with the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Exploris 480 mass spectrometer, now includes two new, highly capable instruments, the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Exploris 240 and Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Exploris 120 mass spectrometer, allowing customers to easily transfer knowledge and methods from research…

By Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office The motion of the ocean is often thought of in horizontal terms, for instance in the powerful currents that sweep around the planet, or the waves that ride in and out along a coastline. But there is also plenty of vertical motion, particularly in the open seas, where water…

JEOL USA announces that it has been awarded a major contract by the US Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection for five JEOL AccuTOF-DART Direct Analysis in Real Time, Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometers. These instruments will enhance the analytical capabilities of five US Customs and Border Protection laboratories across the country. Three additional labs…

Thermo Scientific Helios 5 Laser PFIB system, released by Thermo Fisher Scientific, is an advanced focused ion-beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) with a fully integrated femtosecond laser that quickly characterizes millimeter-scale volumes of material in 3D with nanometer resolution. The Helios 5 Laser PFIB combines the best-in-class Thermo Scientific Elstar SEM Column for ultra-high-resolution imaging and…

Since Robert Hooke’s first description of a cell in Micrographia 350 years ago, microscopy has played an important role in understanding the rules of life. However, the smallest resolvable feature, the resolution, is restricted by the wave nature of light. This century-old barrier has restricted understanding of cellular functions, interactions and dynamics, particularly at the…

Designer and manufacturer of microscopes and scientific equipment, Leica Microsystems, has launched its flagship new confocal microscopy platform, STELLARIS. The platform will significantly improve how scientists are able to capture three-dimensional images of living cells and tissues. Due to its optimized imaging performance, the new confocal platform gives researchers the power to see more and,…

Park Systems, manufacturer of Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM), announces it has made an equity investment in Molecular Vista, based in San Jose, CA.  Molecular Vista produces AFM tools to probe and understand matter at the molecular level through quantitative visualization using Infrared Photo-induced Force Microscopy (IR PiFM). PiFM is a combination of AFM and IR…

It might not start a fashion trend, but Sandia National Laboratories is designing a wearable brain imager. The National Institutes of Health has granted Sandia $6 million to build the prototype medical device that would make magnetoencephalography (MEG) — a type of noninvasive brain scan — more comfortable, more accessible and potentially more accurate. “This…

Refeyn Ltd., a spinout from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford, has been recognized by two prestigious science and innovation awards for its revolutionary mass photometry technology. Refeyn’s first instrument, the Refeyn OneMP, enables users to measure the mass of single molecules in solution – quickly, simply and accurately. The company’s proprietary…

The human brain has some remarkable capabilities – including the ability to block cancer drugs from effectively reaching cancer cells in the brain. The greatest obstacle when it comes to treating cancer that has spread to the brain is the blood-brain barrier, the brain’s natural defense mechanism that is a collection of blood vessels that…

By: Dr. Michelle R. Stem Three-dimensional visible light photonic control is accomplished via the newly identified property of coherent poly propagation (CPP). This property is exhibited by a special silicate that is a rare form of a gemstone found in nature – opal. Dr. Michelle R. Stem discovered and examined several specimens of this material.…

Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have developed a system that measures a patient’s pain level by analyzing brain activity from a portable neuroimaging device. The system could help doctors diagnose and treat pain in unconscious and noncommunicative patients, which could reduce the risk of chronic pain that can occur after surgery. Pain management is a…

Could a small ringlike structure made of plastic and copper amplify the already powerful imaging capabilities of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine? Xin Zhang, Stephan Anderson, and their team at the Boston University Photonics Center can clearly picture such a feat. With their combined expertise in engineering, materials science, and medical imaging, Zhang and…

A new study by biomedical engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas could significantly improve methods for detecting and diagnosing congenital heart disease in infants and small children. The researchers, collaborating with cardiologists at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, tested a new ultrasound technology called vector flow imaging for the first time on pediatric…

There’s an entire world our eyes miss, hidden in the ranges of light wavelengths that human eyes can’t see. But infrared cameras can pick up the secret light emitted as plants photosynthesize, as cool stars burn and batteries get hot. They can see through smoke and fog and plastic. But infrared cameras are much more…

Researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have developed an easy-to-use, tunable biosensor tailored for the terahertz range. Images of mouse organs obtained using their new device verify that the sensor is capable of distinguishing between different tissues. The achievement expands possibilities for terahertz applications in biological analysis and future diagnostics. Plasmonics are highly…