Cairn Research Ltd is an independent scientific instruments manufacturer based in Faversham in the UK. We mainly produce instrumentation for fast, sensitive optical measurements, with our equipment being found around the world in laboratories using fluorescent indicators or fluorescent proteins to investigate the dynamics of physiological systems. Our customer base is primarily leading researchers with demanding scientific goals, and many of our products have been developed as a result of our responding to their specific requirements. This has also allowed us to diversify into other areas for which they may have a simultaneous requirement, such as bioluminescence, electrophysiology and flash photolysis, all of which we now support. Cairn has a very active R&D programme, and we are assisted in this by the use of professional development software for specialist design work. We have workstations for Vutrax for electronic design and component layout; Zemax for optical design and development; and SolidEdge for 3D modelling and drafting. To complement this we have in-house mechanical engineering facilities, which are used extensively for both research and development and custom design projects. The nature of our research programme helps us to provide the best possible customer support, as it is usually possible to speak to the person who actually designed a product or system to answer questions or solve problems. In addition to manufacturing our own proprietary research equipment we are experienced in providing complete integrated systems based around our hardware and high quality components from other suppliers. We have good working relationships with the top manufacturers of research microscopes, regularly incorporating microscopes from Nikon and Olympus into our complete systems, although we can support microscopes from other manufacturers as well. In the fluorescence imaging field we work with companies such as Andor, Photometrics and Hamamatsu, to provide comprehensive solutions. We guarantee that whether you choose to buy a single component or an entire system from Cairn, you will get the same high level of service and support.
The Optoscan monochromator from Cairn Research is the only instrument of its type to offer control of both centre-wavelength and bandwidth with millisecond time resolution. Combined with Cairn signal processing modules and optical hardware it forms the heart of a powerful and flexible microfluorescence system. Alternatively it can be readily integrated into commercial imaging systems, or custom controlled for bespoke applicati…
Triple EmissionThe TripleSplit 3-way image splitter from Cairn Research is a simple device for dividing an image into either one, two or three separate, spatially equivalent components which can be displayed side by side on a single camera chip. Download data sheet Splitting is usually performed on the basis of wavelength or polarisation, allowing applications where there is a requirement for simultaneous, or high speed, acqui…
Our New LED Based Flash Photolysis SystemThe Cairn Optoflash is the latest member of the Cairn OptoLED family. It uses our established LED head and microscope coupling designs, but is optimised for short-term intense illumination. This makes it particularly suitable for the photoactivation of “caged” neurotransmitter or other compounds, and for the important emerging application of channel rhodopsin activation. The maximum cur…
Ultra Stable and Instantaneous Wavelength Switching Recent developments in Light Emitting Diode [LED] technology have yielded devices that are both brighter and capable of operating at more different wavelengths than their predecessors. The high stability and absence of harmful ultraviolet and infrared radiation makes them an ideal choice for fluorescence and transmitted light microscopy. In common with our OptoLED, the Lite v…
Our flexible LaserBank system will launch up to five laser lines into up to five different single-mode fibres. This system can be configured with new lasers or, in most cases, with existing solid state lasers. Please contact us for details of your requirements. The flexible architecture allows lasers to be mounted for TIRF, FRAP, photolysis, confocal or widefield imaging. It provides analogue intensity control and digital swit…
Adjustable field mask for region selection For many years we have offered a movable variable rectangular field stop. This was initially designed to mask a region of interest within the field of view of a microscope in order to make localised intensity measurements with a photomultiplier. Subsequent evolutions of the device have formed an integral part of our OptoSplit image splitters to mask a region to be projected to both ha…
LumiScope for the detection of bioluminescence from aequorin and other luminescence probes.
