Abstract: The invention relates to an interrupter circuit 1 comprising a diagnostic circuit 5 for monitoring the switching state of a plurality of switching elements 3, 4 connected in series. The interrupter circuit 1 is used in particular in the context of safety devices for switching off electrical equipment, in particular electrical drives and lasers.

Abstract: A bandpass filter for light has variable lower and upper cut-off wavelengths. The bandpass filter comprises an areal long-pass filter defining the variable lower cut-off wavelength and an areal short-pass filter defining the variable upper cut-off wavelength. The long-pass filter has different lower cut-off wavelengths in different first area regions which follow to one another in a first direction, and the short-pass filter has different upper cut-off wavelengths in different second area regions which follow to one another in a second direction. The long-pass filter and the short-pass filter are connected in series and spatially fixed relative to one another. The first direction and the second direction are oriented crosswise to one another.

Abstract: The present specification relates to a method for light microscopic examination of a sample (6), in particular by means of laser scanning or MINFLUX microscopy, in which a drift of the sample (6) or of an object in a sample (6) with respect to the light microscope (26) is detected and, if necessary, corrected. In particular, the present specification relates to a corresponding method for examining the sample (6) using laser scanning or MINFLUX microscopy. For this purpose, reference markers (8, 13) are located in the sample, the position of which is repeatedly determined according to the MINFLUX principle in order to determine the drift.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for recording a motion trajectory of an individual particle in a sample and to a light microscope performing this method. Starting from an at least approximately known initial position, the particle is scanned with an intensity distribution of a scanning light comprising a local intensity minimum. When illuminated with the scanning light, the particle to be tracked generates a detectable light signal, from the intensity of which updated coordinates of the particle are calculated. According to the invention, the scanning is terminated when a second measured variable detected in parallel satisfies a termination criterion.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for spatially highly accurate location determination of individual dye molecules of a fluorescent dye by scanning with an intensity distribution of a scanning light having a local minimum. The invention is characterized by the fact that the scanning is not performed uniformly for all dye molecules, but is individually adapted to the dye molecule to be scanned and, if necessary, to its environment in the sample, in order to achieve the most accurate location determination possible with the smallest possible number of fluorescence photons.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining a reference time point (to) by means of a light microscope (1), wherein a sample (2) is illuminated by first light pulses (P1) in order to excite light-emitting entities in the sample (2), wherein a light signal generated by means of the first light pulses (P1) is detected, and wherein the reference time point (to) is determined based on the detected light signal, and wherein the light signal is detected in at least two measurements each in a first detection time window (G1), wherein a starting time point of the first detection time window (G1) is adjusted for each of the measurements. The invention further relates to a light microscope (1) and a computer program for carrying out the method.

Abstract: A high-resolution microscope comprises a carrier support, a plurality of beam guiding and beam forming optical elements mounted to the carrier support in a defined spatial arrangement, and a housing covering the optical elements mounted to the carrier support. The housing comprises a housing panel. The housing panel has two parallel facesheets and a core layer. The core layer is bonded to the two facesheets and includes at least one of a plurality of gas filled cavities and a heavy layer such that the housing panel prevents airborne sound and air flows that occur in the environment of the microscope from exciting the optical elements to vibrations.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining positions of mutually spaced molecules (M) in a sample (20), having the steps of generating (101) a plurality of light distributions, each light distribution having a local intensity minimum (110, 310) and adjacent regions (120, 320) of increasing intensity, comprising an excitation light distribution (100) and a deactivation light distribution (300); illuminating (102) the sample (20) with the excitation light distribution (100) and the deactivation light distribution (300); detecting (103) photons emitted by the molecule (M) for different positions of the excitation light distribution (100); and deriving (104) the position of the molecule (M) on the basis of the photons detected for the different positions of the excitation light distribution (100), wherein the local minimum (110) of the excitation light distribution (100) is arranged at a plurality of scanning positions (201) one after the other within a scanning region (200), and the light intensity of the

Abstract: The invention relates to a sensor circuit for a device performing a safety function, comprising at least two sensors, at least two comparison circuits, each of the comparison circuits being assigned to one of the sensors, and a linking unit for combining logic states (L=0, L=1) of comparison circuit outputs of the comparison circuits to form a circuit output signal, the sensor circuit being configured to scale the comparison circuit output value of at least a first one of the comparison circuits and to feed it back to a measurement input or a reference input of at least a second one of the comparison circuits so that, when the comparison circuit output of the first comparison circuit transitions between the logic states (L=0, L=1), the difference between the measurement signal and the reference signal of the second comparison circuit is reduced or the sign of the difference between the measurement signal and the reference signal of the second comparison circuit is reversed.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods for generating high-resolution images of a structure in a sample or for localizing individual molecules of a fluorescent dye in a sample, and the use of a fluorescent dye in such a method. The methods according to the present disclosure are characterized in that the fluorescent dye is first formed from a protected, non-fluorescent form of the dye in a photoactivation reaction comprising at least two reaction steps prior to scanning with excitation and fluorescence inhibition light, and that the protected, non-fluorescent form of the dye is inert to the excitation and fluorescence inhibition light.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method of disturbance correction and to a laser scanning microscope carrying out this method. Specifically, it is directed to an image recording method according to the MINFLUX principle, in which a spatially isolated fluorescence dye molecule is illuminated at a sequence of scan positions by an intensity distribution with a local intensity minimum, and the number of fluorescence photons emitted by the fluorescence dye molecule is detected at each of the scan positions. The location of the molecule is determined with a high spatial resolution from the scan positions and the numbers of fluorescence photons. A disturbance is captured when illuminating the fluorescence dye molecule and detecting the fluorescence light, said disturbance being considered in corrective fashion when determining the location of the fluorescence dye molecule.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for punctiform illumination of a sample (1) in a microscope, more particularly a MINFLUX microscope, using illumination light, with the sample (1) being sequentially illuminated at the illumination points (3) of a predefined or predefinable illumination point pattern (2). The method is distinguished in that a lateral extent of the illumination point pattern (2) is smaller than the longest wavelength of the illumination light and in that the illumination points (3) are always illuminated exclusively with a time offset and in that a distinct individual light source (4) of a plurality thereof is assigned to each illumination point (3) of the 10 illumination point pattern (2) and each illumination point (3) is illuminated by the focus of an illumination light bundle (5) of the individual light source (4) assigned thereto.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting movements of a sample with respect to an objective comprises imaging optics which include the objective, which have an image plane and which are configured to image light from at least one reference object that is connected to the sample arranged in front of the objective into reference object images in the image plane. The apparatus further comprises a camera which is arranged in the image plane of the imaging optics and which is configured to record the reference object images at consecutive points in time, and an optical device arranged between the objective and the camera in a plane that is Fourier-conjugated with respect to the image plane. The optical device is configured to mask out low spatial frequencies of reference object images which the imaging optics image into the image plane.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fluorescent marker according to the following formula I wherein Fluo is selected from the group consisting of substituted or non-substituted C10-C30 acridone, aminoacridine or pyrene, L is a linker and the moiety X is either a —SO2— or a —PO(OH)— moiety. Furthermore, the present invention relates to the use of the fluorescent markers of the invention, in particular also as a standard in glycan analysis, conjugates of fluorescent markers and glycans, as well as a kit-of-parts containing the fluorescent markers of the invention.

Abstract: For setting a laser-scanning fluorescence microscope to a correct alignment in which an intensity maximum of excitation light and an intensity minimum of fluorescence inhibition light coincide in a focal area of an objective lens, a structure in a sample marked with a fluorescent dye is scanned with the intensity maximum of the excitation light to generate first and second pictures of the sample, the first picture corresponding to a higher and the second picture corresponding to a lower intensity of the fluorescence inhibition light. A spatial offset of a first image of the structure in the first picture with regard to a second image of the structure in the second picture is calculated; and the intensity maximum of the excitation light is shifted with regard to the intensity minimum of the fluorescence inhibition light in the direction of the offset calculated to set the microscope to the correct alignment.

Abstract: A bandpass filter for light has variable lower and upper cut-off wavelengths. The bandpass filter comprises an areal long-pass filter defining the variable lower cut-off wavelength and an areal short-pass filter defining the variable upper cut-off wavelength. The long-pass filter has different lower cut-off wavelengths in different first area regions which follow to one another in a first direction, and the short-pass filter has different upper cut-off wavelengths in different second area regions which follow to one another in a second direction. The long-pass filter and the short-pass filter are connected in series and spatially fixed relative to one another. The first direction and the second direction are oriented crosswise to one another.

Abstract: In order to generate rasterized images of a sample, a pixel size of image points of a rasterized image is set and photons emitted out of the sample which were detected, and for each of which a position of an effective local excitation of the sample for emitting the respective detected photon has been recorded are assigned to that image point of the rasterized image into which the position of the effective local excitation recorded for the respective detected photon falls. To set the pixel size of the image points to an optimized pixel size, the positions of the effective local excitation of the sample for emitting the detected photons are evaluated.

Abstract: A high resolution laser scanning microscope has beam shaping elements configured to shape a beam of fluorescence inhibiting light which is directed into a back aperture of an objective connected to form an intensity minimum delimited by intensity maxima of the fluorescence inhibiting light in a focus of the objective. A plurality of optical elements including the objective and the beam shaping elements are arranged in a beam path of the beam to the focus. Using the microscope includes removing or exchanging or altering or adding at least one of the optical elements arranged in the beam path of the beam of fluorescence inhibiting light, and compensating a variation of polarization varying properties of the plurality of the optical elements, that is caused by removing or exchanging or altering or adding the at least one optical element, by adapting the beam shaping elements to the variation.

Abstract: For setting a laser-scanning fluorescence microscope to a correct alignment in which an intensity maximum of excitation light and an intensity minimum of fluorescence inhibition light coincide in a focal area of an objective lens, a structure in a sample marked with a fluorescent dye is scanned with the intensity maximum of the excitation light to generate first and second pictures of the sample, the first picture corresponding to a higher and the second picture corresponding to a lower intensity of the fluorescence inhibition light. A spatial offset of a first image of the structure in the first picture with regard to a second image of the structure in the second picture is calculated; and the intensity maximum of the excitation light is shifted with regard to the intensity minimum of the fluorescence inhibition light in the direction of the offset calculated to set the microscope to the correct alignment.

Abstract: In order to generate rasterized images of a sample, a pixel size of image points of a rasterized image is set and photons emitted out of the sample which were detected, and for each of which a position of an effective local excitation of the sample for emitting the respective detected photon has been recorded are assigned to that image point of the rasterized image into which the position of the effective local excitation recorded for the respective detected photon falls. To set the pixel size of the image points to an optimized pixel size, the positions of the effective local excitation of the sample for emitting the detected photons are evaluated.