?:definition
|
-
Laboratory light microscopes in which optics alter the phase of the light diffracted by the specimen by one-quarter of a wavelength as compared to the undeviated direct light passing through or around the specimen, permitting details to be observed without fixation and staining. The areas within the specimen where the rapidly changing refractive index causes the most diffraction appear either dark (positive-contrast microscopy) or light (negative-contrast microscopy). Most phase-contrast microscopes can also be configured for bright-field observation; the combined configurations are used in urinalysis and hematology. Phase-contrast microscopes are also used in cytology and microbiology.
|