CRi's Abrio™ and Abrio™ IM (formerly LC-PolScope™ and LC-PolScope™ IM) Imaging systems are quantitative imaging instruments for use in live cell imaging, collagen birefringence mapping, structural imaging, materials research and industrial process control. They are available as microscope-based systems or as stand-alone macroscopic systems for larger samples.

Life Sciences:

Non-invasive, fast and quantitative

Observe living cells with unprecedented detail in near real-time using intrinsic contrast within the intact cell. The Abrio Imaging System, unlike other contrast methods, lets you image fine intracellular structure without having to label your specimens. Birefringent structure such as actin, tubulin, myofibrils, and collagen can now be seen in dramatic detail without having to stain or label your sample.

Abrio and DIC images of spermatocyte from Nephrotoma suturalis, courtesy of Rudolf Oldenbourg (MBL, Woods Hole, MA) and Jim LaFontaine (SUNY, Buffalo, NY).

Industrial Metrology:

Now it is possible to quickly and easily measure stress and structure in transparent materials. CRi's Abrio™ IM imaging system provides a unique method to measure and analyze low-level birefringence in samples. Traditional methods for measuring the spatial distribution of birefringence with polarized light are cumbersome and time-intensive. LC-PolScope technology opens the door to the world of birefringence imaging by automating the process of quantitative polarization microscopy, allowing accurate measurements of retardance magnitude and orientation at every pixel within seconds.

Abrio IM image with pseudocolor overlay of glass sample etched with laser. Color denotes retardance magnitude in nanometers. Image courtesy New Glass Forum, Japan.

System Details

Format

• Microscopic (microscope not included) or Macroscopic

Components

• Abrio / Abrio IM software for direct viewing, image capture and retardance calculations
• Liquid crystal universal compensator
• Circular polarizer
• 546-nm interference filter
• High resolution CCD camera with USB2 interface
• Computer system optimized for image acquisition and processing
• 19" LCD Monitor
• Macroscopic stand (macro system only)