Olympus BX51 petrographic microscope

This platform supports conventional transmitted-light petrography (halogen transmitted illumination), polarized-light microscopy, UV epifluorescence, reflected-light brightfield, and digital documentation.

Illumination

  • Transmitted light: halogen (petrography and routine transmitted-light work)

  • 100 W high-pressure mercury burner for epifluorescence/epi applications

UV epifluorescence

  • Olympus U-MWU2 fluorescence mirror unit, including a band-pass excitation filter (330–385 nm), a 400 nm dichroic mirror, and a long-pass emission (barrier) filter transmitting wavelengths above 420 nm.

Reflected-light brightfield

  • Olympus U-MBFL3 reflected-light brightfield mirror unit (half-mirror module with built-in neutral-density attenuation designed for use alongside fluorescence mirror units).

Polarized-light accessory

  • 530 nm full-wave (λ) retardation plate (first-order red / “sensitive tint”; commonly called a gypsum plate)

Camera

  • Teledyne Lumenera INFINITY3 digital camera, model 3URC, operated with the corresponding proprietary software (including infrared observation capability)

Objectives for conventional petrography

  • PlanApo N 2×/0.08 ∞/–/FN26.5

  • UPlanFI 4×/0.13 P ∞/–

  • UPlanFI 10×/0.30 P ∞/–

  • UPlanFI 40×/0.75 P ∞/0.17

Fluid and Melt Inclusion Microthermometry

For fluid inclusion analysis, the BX51 rotating stage is replaced with an XY stage with a glass plate insert that can be removed to install Linkam stages using a stage adapter. Stages are operated with a Linkam Scientific Instruments T96-S controller and Nexus software on Windows.

Available stages

  1. THMSG600 (heating–freezing): approximately −195 °C to +600 °C, with an LNP96-S liquid nitrogen pump

  2. TS1400XY (high temperature): room temperature to 1400 °C, with WCP water cooling system

  3. Refurbished USGS gas-flow heating–freezing system operated with a Doric Trendicator 410A and an MVE Cryogenics AL-16 liquid nitrogen dewar

Cryogen logistics

  • VWR CryoPro L-10 dewar for transporting liquid nitrogen from the fill station to the lab for stage operation/refills

Stage-optimized objective sets

Low-temperature set optimized for the THMSG600 stage

  • MPlanFL N 5×/0.15 ∞/–/OFN26.5

  • MPlanFL N 10×/0.30 ∞/–/OFN26.5

  • LUCPlanFL N 40×/0.60 ∞/0–2/OFN22

  • LMPlanFL N 100×/0.80 ∞/0/FN26.5

High-temperature set optimized for the TS1400XY stage

  • UPlanFL N 10×/0.30 ∞/–/OFN26.5

  • LUCPlanFL N 20×/0.45 ∞/0–2/OFN22

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