The Optosource lamp house is specifically optimised for use with our Optoscan monochromator, but is ideal for any application which requires ultra-high point intensity e.g. Fluorescence microscopy. It uses a large dielectric coated ellipsoidal mirror to concentrate the energy from the lamp onto a very small point. The vertical lamp mount makes it suitable for use with a range of xenon, mercury and xenon/mercury lamps.
Optical alignment (often a problem with arc-lamp housings) is achieved by a very simple arrangement of three screws for horizontal, vertical and focus adjustment. The lamphouse is also provided with an enclosed focussing screen for safe and easy set up and trouble-shooting.
Our classic lamp house, with its horizontal lamp mounting is highly efficient at focussing the energy from a 75 Watt lamp onto a small spot. The magnification of the bright spot of the arc is greater than with the more expensive Optosource, but this is not a disadvantage for systems which use optical filters and larger sizes of liquid light guide (typically 5mm). It is also an economical choice for monochromator systems where the application is not light limited.

To ensure that our customers have no problems getting started with their Cairn light sources we configure and test them with the specific make and model of lamp that the researcher intends to use. If switching to another lamp at a later date it may be necessary to change electrode holders and / or power settings.

Standard Systems

For epifluorescence microscopy our light sources would typically used in conjunction with the following products: