Imagingluminansmätare

Imagingluminansmätare is a laboratory instrument designed to capture and quantify luminescent signals across a sample, enabling two-dimensional spatial mapping of light emission. It combines a light-tight imaging chamber, a high-sensitivity detector, and optical components to convert photons into digital images that reflect luminescent activity within the specimen.

Principle of operation: samples containing luminescent reporters—such as luciferase-based systems or chemiluminescent assays—emit photons as part of enzymatic reactions. The imagingluminansmätare collects these photons with an objective lens and focuses them onto a detector, typically a cooled charge-coupled device (CCD) or scientific complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (sCMOS) sensor. Cooling reduces dark current and noise, increasing sensitivity. Optional time-gated detection can suppress background, and emission filters or a monochromator enable spectral discrimination for multi-signal experiments.

Design and components: standard configurations include a light-tight enclosure, an objective with high numerical aperture, a cooled camera (often EMCCD or high-performance sCMOS), a filter wheel for emission bands, and a motorized stage for sample positioning. Some systems provide plate formats (multiwell plates or gels) and software for image acquisition, background subtraction, normalization, and region-of-interest analysis. The instrument is optimized for detecting very low light levels and for preserving spatial information about luminescent sources.

Applications: imagingluminansmätare is used in biology and biochemistry for reporter gene assays, promoter activity studies, monitoring of gene expression, protein interaction assays, and luminescent imaging in cells, tissues, or small organisms. It is valued for its ability to reveal the spatial distribution of luminescence, complementing quantitative plate readers that measure total luminescence without imaging.

See also: luminometer, bioluminescence imaging, luminescence detection.