Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal

The relative intensities of the spectral peaks in a multi-ion discharge
lamp are standardized and documented; this might be useful for testing
for any artefact in a spectral fingerprint due to differences in
spectral response between different PMT's.
-Karl

Guy Cox wrote:

>Search the CONFOCAL archive at
>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal
>
>Sounds interesting - please do send me a copy.
>
>But my question is why is this necessary?  You have absolute
>standards built in the in the form of your CW lasers (6 lines
>on our system) - their position shows how accurately your system
>is calibrated and the FWHM shows the resolution.  What more do
>you need?
>
>                                                     Guy
>
>
>
>Quoting Robert Zucker <[log in to unmask]>:
>
>
>>At the recent microscopy meetings (MM2004) in Savannah a paper by R
>>Zucker and J. Lerner was presented entitled  “Confocal Microscopy System
>>Performance: Foundations for Measurements, Quantitation and Spectroscopy
>>”
>>
>>This Confocal QA spectroscopy test was developed to measure spectral
>>performance and to serve as guidelines for investigators to assess both
>>the performance of their instruments as well as the quality of their
>>data. This spectral characterization test is well suited to all
>>wavelength dispersive CLSM systems including the Leica SP series (SP),
>>the Zeiss LSM510 Meta (Meta) and Olympus FV1000 confocal microscopes.
>>We used an inexpensive, eye-safe, battery operated, multi-ion discharge
>>lamp (MIDL) (LightForm, Inc., Hillsborough NJ) containing mercury ions
>>and inorganic fluorophores as an absolute reference light source because
>>it emits stable, reproducible, peaks between 400 and 650 nm.  It is
>>worth applying this test to your systems.
>>
>>An abstract describing this presentation has been published and is
>>available on request.
>>
>>Bob
>>
>>
>>Robert M. Zucker, PhD
>>U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
>>Office of Research and Development
>>National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
>>Reproductive Toxicology Division, MD 72
>>Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27711
>>Tel: 919-541-1585; fax 919-541-4017
>>e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>>
>>
>
>
>--
>Associate Professor Guy Cox
>Electron Microscope Unit, F09
>University of Sydney NSW 2006
>+61 2 9351 3176
>
>

--
Karl Garsha
Light Microscopy Specialist
Imaging Technology Group
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
405 North Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
Office: B650J
Phone: 217.244.6292
Fax: 217.244.6219
Mobile: 217.390.1874
www.itg.uiuc.edu