Abstract: The use of one or more wavefront modulators in the observation beam path and/or illumination beam path of a microscope provide various advantageous results. Such modulators may be adapted to change the phase and/or the amplitude of light in such a way to carry out displacement and shaping of the focus in the object space and correction of possible aberrations. The possible areas of use include confocal microscopy, laser-assisted microscopy, conventional light microscopy and analytic microscopy.

Abstract: A transport system for transporting and handling microtiter plates, for use in high throughput screening, diagnosis and/or combinatorial chemistry, comprising modules with devices for preparing specimens and/or introducing specimens, and/or for optical readout and/or for plate storage and/or devices for further processing steps or readout steps. The system includes an inter-modular transport system for transporting the microtiter plates between the different devices and at least one central transport system for asynchronous plate transfer between individual modules via input and output buffers.

Abstract: Method and/or arrangement for identifying fluorescing, luminescing and/or absorbing substances on and/or in sample carriers, particularly with high sample throughput in sample screening and/or in diagnostics, preferably in the analysis of samples in microtiter plates (MTP), wherein a spectral splitting of the sample light is carried out and detection is carried out in a plurality of detection channels, and at least one summation and/or combination of the signals of the individual channels is carried out for at least a portion of the detection channels. In an advantageous manner, at least one standard sample (STD) and/or at least one blank sample (BLK) are/is arranged on the sample carrier in addition to the substances (PRB) to be examined, and a spectrum of at least one standard sample (STD) is recorded in a first step.

Abstract: The use of one or more wavefront modulators in the observation beam path and/or illumination beam path of a microscope provide various advantageous results. Such modulators may be adapted to change the phase and/or the amplitude of light in such a way to carry out displacement and shaping of the focus in the object space and correction of possible aberrations. The possible areas of use include confocal microscopy, laser-assisted microscopy, conventional light microscopy and analytic microscopy.

Abstract: The use of one or more wavefront modulators in the observation beam path and/or illumination beam path of a microscope provide various advantageous results. Such modulators may be adapted to change the phase and/or the amplitude of light in such a way to carry out displacement and shaping of the focus in the object space and correction of possible aberrations. The possible areas of use include confocal microscopy, laser-assisted microscopy, conventional light microscopy and analytic microscopy.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ancillary module 7 for making spatially resolved measurements of the focus volume of a light beam focussed by a microscope objective 4. The light beam is especially a laser beam. The invention includes a carrier assembly having a glass plate 8 and sleeves (9, 10) mounted thereon. A piezoelectric scanning tube 12 is held on the sleeves (9, 10) essentially perpendicularly to the glass plate 8. The scanning tube 12 operates to move an optical near-field probe 13a in three mutually perpendicular directions. The optical near-field sensor is preferably a glass fiber 13 which has a tip 13a at one end thereof. This tip 13a scans the laser focus volume. At the other end of the glass fiber 13, either a photodiode 14 is provided with which the light coupled into the glass fiber is detected or a corresponding light detector can be adapted by means of an interface. The two sleeves (9, 10) are displaceable relative to each other for coarsely positioning the scanning tube 12.