DIC objectives

[microscopeboi]

Hello, will DIC work if the objectives are not made for DIC? If they are just neofluar or planapo but not DIC specified could those still be used if I had the slider in the tube and the other prism beneath the condenser?

[PeteM]

Often, especially with newer and higher quality objectives, yes. These are often "strain free" or nearly so, without being so marked.

You do want to match up numerical apertures, locations of the back objective plane, and the prisms. The same prism for a .40na 20x objective might not work so well with a .75na 20x objective. In addition, even at the same numerical aperture, something like a Leica 20x objective marked "B" won't want the same prism as one marked "D."

Test what you have - easiest way to tell.

[apochronaut]

In addition to their being a requirement for a lack of strain in the cement layers of the objective, more a concern in the polarization aspect of the technique, certain systems require there to be a rotating prism integral to the objective. DIC is kind of a catch all phrase, which encompasses a few different systems, the Nomarski design being just one of them.
I guess since Nomarski licensed only one company in each country to use his designs, other companies found ways around that problem. Some have prisms that move along the Z axis or rotate.

[PeteM]

Curious, Phil, which systems use a rotating DIC prism integral to the objective?

[apochronaut]

PZO is one . I don't know about others. edit. Come to think of it, I do know of others. Some of the Baker Interference Contrast objectives had prisms in them.

[apochronaut]

The PZO objectives are a high image splitting objective with a 360° rotateable birefringent prism integral with the objective optical system via a knurled mount. The objectives provide the following r2 values in relation to the object plane.
10X 40um, 20X 20um, 40X 12um and 100X 5um.

The image splitting objectives are used for the Differential with Uniform Colour Method and the Fringe Method utilizing the slit condenser and #1 and 3 birefringent prisms.

[zzffnn]

Apo, sorry I am not following you, I probably remember it wrong (does PZO offer different DIC objectives)?

I thought some other non-PZO non-DIC objectives can also work with PZO system?

[apochronaut]

The PZO interference contrast system was actually a group of systems. There were two different condensing systems and two different prism systems and locations above the objective. This was a reflection of the fact that differential interference just as with phase contrast has certain facilities for certain samples and requirements depending on how it is configured and thatt it can be modulated to give the results needed. A Nomarski style DIC is obtainable in a similar fashion to Nomarski DIC using the carousel 4 prism condenser and the 3 prism polarizing interference head, with standard strain free objectives.
The objectives containing the rotating prisms were designed for certain other of the differential techniques, which used different combinations of condensers and prisms.

[deBult]

PZO DIC description (German language and poor quality pictures).

http://www.mikroskopfreunde-nordhessen. ... IK-PZO.pdf