Leica Microsystems: Leica Science Lab

Science Lab

The knowledge portal of Leica Microsystems offers scientific research and teaching material on the subjects of microscopy. The content is designed to support beginners, experienced practitioners and scientists alike in their everyday work and experiments. Explore interactive tutorials and application notes, discover the basics of microscopy as well as high-end technologies – become part of the Science Lab community and share your expertise!

Collecting Light: The Importance of Numerical Aperture in Microscopy

Numerical aperture (abbreviated as ‘NA’) is an important consideration when trying to distinguish detail in a specimen viewed down the microscope. NA is a number without units and is related to the…

FusionOptics in Neurosurgery and Ophthalmology – for a Larger 3D Area in Focus

Neurosurgeons and ophthalmologists deal with delicate structures, deep or narow cavities and tiny structures with vitally important functions. A clear, three-dimensional view on the surgical field is…

Confocal Optical Section Thickness

Confocal microscopes are employed to optically slice comparably thick samples.

Object planes of the Greenough stereomicroscope with depth of field range.

Depth of Field in Microscopy

In microscopy, depth of field is often seen as an empirical parameter. In practice it is determined by the correlation between numerical aperture, resolution and magnification. For the best possible…

Beware of "Empty" Magnification

This article explains how to avoid the phenomen of "empty magnification" in microscopy.