Certain instruments are designed to accommodate additional high-power 60x or 100x objective lenses when extremely high magnification and resolution are critical, such as for cytology or microbiology applications.

The 40x or 100x high power objective produces the highest magnification and resolution to reveal subcellular structures and other intricate details not discernable with the lower powered lenses but has an extremely narrow field of view. It is used for critical inspection of key areas after initial surveys with lower-powered objectives.

Of those key players, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is already known to be developing laser weapons in collaboration with Lockheed Martin for the proposed “Iron Beam” defensive shield to shoot down and disable hostile drones and rockets.

The set of 3 objective lenses on most compound microscopes elegantly fulfills the range of observational needs in microscopy, from scanning the big picture to examining the most minute details. Their differing optical properties and fields of view provide efficient and flexible viewing capabilities not possible with a single objective lens. The specific numbers and powers may be tailored for particular applications, but the core triad arrangement remains ubiquitous out of logical necessity.

The major components of a compound microscope are the ocular lens in the eyepiece, the objective turret housing multiple objective lenses, the condenser lens below the stage, the illumination system, and the mechanical arm. Each part plays a critical optical or functional role.

Industrial fiber laserThe high-power diode and fiber laser manufacturer nLight says that it will now receive $171 million from the US military to develop a megawatt-scale laser weapon - double the total originally awarded. Back in May the Camas, Washington state, company announced details of an $86 million contract with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD), for its High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative (HELSI) project. Additional options in the original award have now been triggered, with the second phase of the project aiming to scale the coherent beam combined architecture from 300 kilowatts, which was achieved in the initial phase, to 1 megawatt. “This laser will be delivered in a rugged conex-compatible form factor with optional space allocations to upgrade with precision long-range tracking and adaptive optics technology,” announced the firm. Jeff Barchers, the president of nLight’s defense systems business unit, added: “Our technology’s ability to scale power and correct for atmospheric turbulence enables nLight to deliver high-intensity beams that are precisely directed to long-range targets, maximizing the effectiveness of the laser. “Our work on the second phase of the HELSI program will further support the broader transition of high-energy lasers into the hands of the warfighter.” Israel engagement Discussing the development with investors following the firm’s latest financial update, CEO Scott Keeney said that the megawatt laser would be developed over the next three years, and that the contract award would provide a significant boost to the firm’s sales revenues in 2024. “In terms of HELSI 2 program execution, we've made excellent technical progress this far and we are achieving our key program objectives to date,” he added, also pointing out that the company was seeing additional demand for its directed energy technology from countries other than the US. “Several of our customers and potential customers that had planned to develop their own lasers using nLight diodes have converted to purchasing nLight lasers,” Keeney said - pointing out that this translated to extra revenues for the firm. Asked whether this related to activity in Israel as a result of the current conflict in the region, the CEO responded that nLight was “engaged with all of the key players” in the country. Of those key players, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is already known to be developing laser weapons in collaboration with Lockheed Martin for the proposed “Iron Beam” defensive shield to shoot down and disable hostile drones and rockets. Around a year ago, Rafael said that it had proved the operational capability of Iron Beam, which would likely be based around 100 kW-class fiber lasers, although it is not believed that any such laser weapons have been used during the latest conflict. If and when it is implemented, Iron Beam is expected to be far more cost-effective and operationally efficient than the current “Iron Dome” defensive shield, which relies on conventional projectiles to shoot down aerial threats. Lockheed has itself won an award under the HELSI 2 program, and is aiming to scale its technology to 500 kW using spectral beam combining. According to a recent US Congressional Research Service report on laser weapons, the US military's goal is to demonstrate a 500 kW system in 2025, and a megawatt-class system the following year. "Lasers of 1 MW could potentially neutralize ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons," states that report. Design wins For nLight's latest quarter, Keeney announced sales revenues of $50.6 million, in line with expectations but down from $60.1 million a year ago. That translated to an operating loss of $12.5 million, similar to the figure posted this time last year, with the CEO reporting more aggressive pricing from Chinese fiber laser competitors when selling their products outside of China. On the plus side, Keeney also pointed out some recent new design wins for metal additive manufacturing applications, and said nLight had now begun shipping lasers to what he called a “significant customer” making electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Looking ahead, he stated that the momentum in directed energy gave him more confidence that 2024 would be a “strong growth year” for the firm, although in the near term sales would likely drop below $50 million for the December quarter.

The level of microscope magnification depends on the optical properties of both the ocular and objective lenses. The ocular lens magnifies the primary image 10x. The objectives provide progressively higher magnifying power of 4x, 10x, 40x, and sometimes 100x.

If and when it is implemented, Iron Beam is expected to be far more cost-effective and operationally efficient than the current “Iron Dome” defensive shield, which relies on conventional projectiles to shoot down aerial threats.

“Several of our customers and potential customers that had planned to develop their own lasers using nLight diodes have converted to purchasing nLight lasers,” Keeney said - pointing out that this translated to extra revenues for the firm.

The multiple objectives with parcentered optics allow users to quickly switch between lenses and magnifications to obtain just the right view. This facilitates efficient and intuitive workflows.

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The provision of 3 objective lenses with differing optical properties confers important complementary advantages that enhance the microscopy user experience and workflow efficiency.

Design wins For nLight's latest quarter, Keeney announced sales revenues of $50.6 million, in line with expectations but down from $60.1 million a year ago.

The standard compound microscope contains 3 objective lenses with different powers, resolutions, and fields of view to provide a tiered viewing experience.

Lenses with lower power and larger fields of view can have optics optimized for brightness whereas high magnification lenses with narrow fields are optimized for resolution at the expense of brightness.

Proper illumination from below is vital for viewing clarity. The maximum resolution or resolving power is limited by the wavelength of light and optics. Higher quality objectives provide greater usable resolution to see fine details.

The high-power diode and fiber laser manufacturer nLight says that it will now receive $171 million from the US military to develop a megawatt-scale laser weapon - double the total originally awarded.

A question commonly asked about compound microscopes is: What’s the purpose of having 3 objective lenses attached to it? The answer is quite simple.

Practically, low magnification facilitates efficient scanning of the overall specimen to find areas of interest to study further, saving significant time compared to searching blindly at high power. It provides necessary contextual orientation.

Phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy require specialized objectives with matched condenser optics to image transparent specimens. These are often incorporated as a fourth objective or replace one of the standard ones.

Some microscopes include extra low power 1x or 2x objectives for an even wider field of view to help orient the largest samples. These have become more common on inverted microscopes.

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High-performance objectives may have adjustable correction collars to optimize the optical correction for viewing specimen slides with different coverslip thicknesses, allowing the best possible image.

The compound light microscope is an indispensable tool used ubiquitously in science disciplines to visualize small objects in fine detail. Unlike simple magnifying glasses, the compound microscope uses two lens systems to enlarge specimens up to 1000x their actual size.

The lowest magnification objective is typically a 4x or 10x lens. Its primary purpose is to provide a wide field of view of the overall specimen on the slide for initial orientation and scanning. The low magnification reduces aberrations from optical imperfections.

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The range of magnifications enables users to choose the appropriate level for their particular application, whether surveying tissue architecture or examining subcellular organelles. No single objective lens can provide optimal performance across this wide range of viewing needs.

The standard compound light microscope has 3 objective lenses to provide different magnification powers, resolving abilities, and fields of view to visualize specimens in increasing detail.

Asked whether this related to activity in Israel as a result of the current conflict in the region, the CEO responded that nLight was “engaged with all of the key players” in the country.

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According to a recent US Congressional Research Service report on laser weapons, the US military's goal is to demonstrate a 500 kW system in 2025, and a megawatt-class system the following year. "Lasers of 1 MW could potentially neutralize ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons," states that report.

Back in May the Camas, Washington state, company announced details of an $86 million contract with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD), for its High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative (HELSI) project.

Additional options in the original award have now been triggered, with the second phase of the project aiming to scale the coherent beam combined architecture from 300 kilowatts, which was achieved in the initial phase, to 1 megawatt.

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Around a year ago, Rafael said that it had proved the operational capability of Iron Beam, which would likely be based around 100 kW-class fiber lasers, although it is not believed that any such laser weapons have been used during the latest conflict.

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While the basic 3 objective arrangement still dominates today, some microscopes incorporate additional objectives or special enhancements for increased performance and capabilities.

Jeff Barchers, the president of nLight’s defense systems business unit, added: “Our technology’s ability to scale power and correct for atmospheric turbulence enables nLight to deliver high-intensity beams that are precisely directed to long-range targets, maximizing the effectiveness of the laser.

Looking ahead, he stated that the momentum in directed energy gave him more confidence that 2024 would be a “strong growth year” for the firm, although in the near term sales would likely drop below $50 million for the December quarter.

That translated to an operating loss of $12.5 million, similar to the figure posted this time last year, with the CEO reporting more aggressive pricing from Chinese fiber laser competitors when selling their products outside of China.

“In terms of HELSI 2 program execution, we've made excellent technical progress this far and we are achieving our key program objectives to date,” he added, also pointing out that the company was seeing additional demand for its directed energy technology from countries other than the US.

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Higher magnification requires higher resolution to realize the full benefit. The higher-powered objectives have correspondingly greater resolving power to take advantage of the increased magnification whereas the lower-power lenses have comparatively less resolution which is ample for their magnification level.

“This laser will be delivered in a rugged conex-compatible form factor with optional space allocations to upgrade with precision long-range tracking and adaptive optics technology,” announced the firm.

Israel engagement Discussing the development with investors following the firm’s latest financial update, CEO Scott Keeney said that the megawatt laser would be developed over the next three years, and that the contract award would provide a significant boost to the firm’s sales revenues in 2024.

Having a continuum of magnifications allows the microscope to accommodate samples of vastly different sizes from whole insect bodies down to single cells. A single high-power objective cannot cover this entire range.

Lockheed has itself won an award under the HELSI 2 program, and is aiming to scale its technology to 500 kW using spectral beam combining.

The 10x or 20x medium power objective delivers comfortable viewing magnification and reasonably high resolution to see some finer details in the context of the larger specimen structure. It is commonly used for routine examination, counting cells, measuring proportions, and making sketches.

“Our work on the second phase of the HELSI program will further support the broader transition of high-energy lasers into the hands of the warfighter.”

On the plus side, Keeney also pointed out some recent new design wins for metal additive manufacturing applications, and said nLight had now begun shipping lasers to what he called a “significant customer” making electric vehicle (EV) batteries.