The Physics of Light and Color - The interrelationship between the source of light, color, response of the human eye, and complex phenomena, such as refraction and diffraction, all play a role in how we visualize and understand our world. The discussions in this section are designed to introduce many of the basic concepts surrounding the physics of light and color, and how they combine to affect our everyday lives.

Anatomy of the MIC-D Digital Microscope - The MIC-D digital microscope incorporates cutting-edge light-emitting diode (LED) solid-state illumination technology in a swivel lamphouse (rotation arm) that also contains a diffusion screen and condenser lens. This combination of lighting elements enables the microscopist to illuminate the specimen from a variety of off-axis angles and different numerical apertures. Illumination modes include traditional brightfield, oblique, darkfield, and reflected light. The Olympus MIC-D digital microscope should set a standard for future microscopes in the coming years by affording a variety of contrast-enhancing techniques that are unparalleled in competing microscopes of this class.

Digital Image Acquisition and Processing - The Olympus MIC-D inverted digital microscope captures images with a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor housed in the base and coupled to a host computer for acquisition, cataloging and processing of digital images. Interface software features include single image, full-motion video, and time-lapse sequence capture modes, in addition to a well-fortified cadre of image processing algorithms and an advanced image management system. Digital images captured with the MIC-D microscope can be sorted, edited, corrected, and prepared for presentation, either electronically or through print media, with the accompanying software.