LSM 5 MP laser scanning microscope system is configured for multiphoton microscopy. Optical coatings ensure minimal power loss with direct-coupled femtosecond lasers. Filter technology guarantees efficient suppression of the exciting light with simultaneous sensitive detection. Objective lenses adapted to the needs of multiphoton microscopy and featuring optical correction in the near infrared spectral range allow the optimum use of different IR excitation wavelengths, into ranges of over 1000 nm. These wavelengths enable great depth of tissue penetration thanks to low absorption and scatter. W Plan-Apochromat objective lens provides 20× magnification at a numerical aperture of 1.0 and a working distance of 2 mm, and is especially suited for electrophysiology combined with multiphoton microscopy. It allows the imaging of large areas of the specimen with excellent resolution and light collecting efficiency.

YFP-expressing cortical neurons of the mouse from layers IV and V, courtesy of M. Fuhrmann and J. Herms, Department of Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.