The Carl Zeiss LSM 980 with Airyscan 2 is a cutting-edge point-scanning confocal microscope designed for generating high-resolution three-dimensional images of thick specimens. Its advanced features ensure high sensitivity, rapid imaging speeds, and minimal photodamage, making it an ideal tool for live-cell imaging and photobleaching experiments.

The inverted microscope design incorporates a dark large cage incubator and a stage-top incubator for precise temperature control and CO₂ supply, alongside Definite Focus.3 hardware to maintain focus during extended time-lapse acquisitions. A motorized stage combined with a piezo-driven Z-displacement mechanism allows for fast and precise 4D imaging across multiple positions, facilitated by the Tiles Advanced Setup within the ZEN Blue software.

Central to the LSM 980’s performance is the Airyscan 2 detector, an area detector with 32 concentrically arranged GaAsP detection elements. This innovative design allows you to acquire more of the Airy disk at once. The confocal pinhole itself remains open and does not block light, thus significantly enhancing photon collection and light efficiency. The system supports gentle super-resolution imaging with high sensitivity, achieving resolutions of up to 120 nm laterally and 350 nm axially (at 488 nm in SR mode), or as fine as 90 nm (XY) and 270 nm (Z) using Airyscan Joint Deconvolution (jDCV). The Airyscan 2 Multiplex modes (4Y and 8Y) enable parallel excitation and detection, delivering up to an 8x speed improvement without compromising sensitivity.

The LSM 980 is optimized for simultaneous spectral detection of multiple weakly labeled fluorophores, supported by lasers ranging from violet to far-red wavelengths (405, 488, 561, and 639 nm). It includes two PMT detectors and a high-sensitivity GaAsP detector, boasting a quantum efficiency of 45%, nearly double that of conventional PMTs. Additionally, the LSM Plus deconvolution mode enhances the signal-to-noise ratio by acting as a denoising step post-acquisition, enabling high-speed imaging with reduced laser power.