64-bit Data Acquisition Software
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The Power of Revolutionary Thinking This software is different.
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Princeton Instruments LightField ™ is a new 64-bit image and spectral acquisition software package that provides a cutting-edge user interface and the powerful functionality needed to set up and perform complex optical diagnostic experiments. This unique and revolutionary tool lets researchers around the world realize the true potential of their advanced Princeton Instruments low-light-level cameras and spectrographs.
Download a FREE evaluation version.
The best way to experience the real advantage of this software is through the full-feature evaluation version available for download at: www.princetoninstruments.com/lighteld
LightField 64-bit Data Acquisition Software
Princeton Instruments has pioneered stateof-the-art technology and instrumentation for more than three decades, including: •
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From the world leader in low-light imaging, spectroscopy, and x-ray detection...
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eXcelon™ technology for minimizing etaloning and improving sensitivity No-compromise ProEM ™ EMCCD cameras with single-photon-detection capabilities
LightField is an integral part of the best all-around hardware/software solutions on the market today!
Faster, smar ter PI-MAX ® 3 ICCD cameras that offer <500 picosecond gating InGaAs-sensor-based cameras for NIR imaging and spectroscopy up to 2.2 μm
Now, with the introduction of LightField, as well as the amazing IntelliCal™ calibration option, Princeton Instruments has successfully redened the very nature of scientic imaging and spectroscopy software.
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LightField 64-bit Data Acquisition Software
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Time for a change! Whether analyzing properties of nanomaterials or observing celestial objects, researchers require the best optical diagnostic tools. While state-of-the-art hardware can deliver single-photon sensitivity, associated software tools leave muc h to be desired. Too often, a researcher’s early enthusiasm for their new hardware quickly wanes as the poor design and inherent limitations of the accompanying software become apparent. But now there’s LightField. Say farewell to disappointment and frustration. The excitement is here to stay!
We’ve raised the bar!
It’s all about the data!
At the beginning of the LightField design project, Princeton Instruments had a fundamental choice to make.
LightField’s power derives from its simple but surprisingly novel guiding principle: “Provide researchers with reliable data as quickly as possible.”
We could either simply update an existing software package, like most companies do, or we could create software entirely from the ground up, based on more than 30 years of application experience and feedback from the world’s leading laboratories. We chose the latter approach.
In seeking to fulll this promise, the Princeton Instruments software team created a brand new user interface, brand new calibration methods, and even brand new concepts.
There is no comparable software available for the typical laboratory environment!
The result is nothing less than remarkable!
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LightField 64-bit Data Acquisition Software
Two Standout Capabilities
PI-MAX 3 ICCD Camera Support ®
What you see is truly what you get! Princeton Instruments PI-MAX 3 ICCD cameras can measure events with ultrane temporal resolution in imaging and spectroscopy experiments via: • A SuperSynchro™ timing generator • <500 picosecond gate widths (exposure times)
Whenever a compatible PI-MAX 3 camera is connected, LightField displays a highly intuitive “virtual” dashboard akin to a laboratory oscilloscope so that you can: • Adjust the gate delay, width, SyncMaster™, and auxiliary delays on-the-y • Easily synchronize your PI-MAX 3 camera with external lasers • Quickly plot “time vs. intensity” graphs via a single click LightField provides complete timing control for compatible PI-MAX 3 cameras.
Introducing IntelliCal ™ Automated wavelength and intensity calibration! Publish with absolute condence. For the rst time, the spectral response of all elements in the detection path, including that of the grating and the camera, has been taken into account. LightField’s optional IntelliCal feature lets you rmly and immediately establish the accuracy of your spectroscopic data on a pixel-by-pixel basis: • Calibrate the entire spectrum in both the wavelength and intensity scales against the NIST database • Rely on patent-pending technology that delivers up to 10x better accuracy than standard calibration
LightField offers patent-pending IntelliCal for accurate spectrum calibration in both the wavelength and intensity spaces! Data using standard spectral calibration (left); same data utilizing LightField’s IntelliCal wavelength and intensity calibration (right).
LightField 64-bit Data Acquisition Software
To learn more about this revolutionary new feature, download our IntelliCal technical notes at www.princetoninstruments.com/lighteld.
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Drag and Drop Devices
Yes, simply drag and drop to create your experiment conguration. For spectroscopy, control the light path by directly clicking the mirrors!
A Virtual Oscilloscope
A special dashboard appears whenever a compatible PI-MAX 3 ICCD camera is connected. Take complete control of gate delays, widths, and trigger input/output signals!
LightField provides hundreds of incredible features! Here are just a few of our favorites...
The Best Bar
View the status of hardware and acquisition settings at a glance!
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Gray Is Great
LightField’s muted gray background minimizes interference with light-sensitive experiments. If complete darkness is required, LightField can simply turn off monitors during acquisition.
LightField 64-bit Data Acquisition Software
All Shall Be Revealed
Want a better look? Use the Image Histogram function to adjust image contrast.
Images Everywhere
Go ahead and work on multiple display monitors! A single image or an entire data viewer can be relocated to a secondary monitor.
LightField allows you to compare live and previously acquired data quickly! See the Stats
The Online Statistics window gives you a quick overview of key measurements.
LightField 64-bit Data Acquisition Software
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TOP 10 Features
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Get up and go!
2. LightField is smart. Just connect the hardware, launch LightField, and you’re ready to start capturing data. It’s that simple!
Peace of mind...
LightField detects attached hardware and sets up intelligent defaults for you.
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It knows you... In many labs, Princeton Instruments cameras and spectrographs are used by multiple researchers. LightField provides an easy “experiment setup” save/load function that quickly loads your experiment settings for you.
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We know how important your data is! LightField automatically saves every acquisition to your desired folder and keeps track of all experiment settings in the le header. It even saves your raw data when a post-processing feature is applied.
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Streams of data...
Need to capture data over an extended period of time? Thanks to its native 64-bit architecture, LightField is not only able to utilize all the memory (RAM) available on your computer, it can stream multi-gigabyte pixel data directly into the hard drive, all without missing a beat.
LightField 64-bit Data Acquisition Software
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Unite!
Multi-camera control, multi-spectrograph control. LightField controls each of the Princeton Instruments cameras and spectrographs in your lab from a single computer.
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Simpler spectrograph alignment... LightField’s ROI and Peak Find features help you align your camera on your spectrograph more quickly than ever before.
TOP 10 Features
Go from out-ofthe-box to spectral acquisition in minutes!
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What’s new with Step & Glue?
Traditional approaches can be plagued by a host of spectral artifacts. Our Intensity Calibration routine automatically corrects these artifacts, delivering a spectrum free of instrumental bias. For the rst time, high resolution and a broad spectral range can be achieved simultaneously with no compromises!
LightField 64-bit Data Acquisition Software
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It’s all about timing!
Every frame (or sub-frame in kinetics readout mode) is automatically hardware time stamped with 1 µsec accuracy and stored in the le data. Simply perform a cross-section analysis on a sequence of frames to quickly gain insight into the temporal nature of your data.
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TOP 10 Features
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Search and decide.
Cameras and spectrographs can have a multitude of settings, but only a few are used routinely. LightField’s smart search function quickly directs you to the controls you want, as you type. You can even build your own custom settings dock to access frequently used settings!
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Powerful, yet easy!
No marketing hyperbole here. LightField allows complete control over supported Princeton Instruments cameras and spectrographs. All available readout modes, such as frame transfer, kinetics, spectrakinetics (microsecond time resolution), and custom chip (>10 kHz frame rates), are supported.
Make it your own! Customize, customize, customize... Fancy your own user interface or post-processing tools? Need to integrate LightField with other software packages? No problem. LightField has powerful add-ins and automation features built-in so that you can get what you really want. All you need is familiarity with programming languages. We even provide more than 20 examples of add-in programs to get you started! Add-ins: These are user-written utilities or tools that customize the LightField experience. For example, you can modify/add toolbars and tabs, add post-processing or real-time functions (e.g., lters), or c hange display types. Automation: You can run LightField from a third-party software program either in the b ackground or the foreground. This is a convenient way to automate routine tasks from familiar programs. Software SDK: For OEMs and system integrators, a comprehensive PICAM application programming interface (API) is provided for free. Programmers will love the example programs with source code that we have included in the software development kit (SDK).
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LightField 64-bit Data Acquisition Software
Key Features List Acquisition & Control
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Supported cameras: PIXIS, PI-MAX 3*, ProEM, PyLoN™, Quad-RO Supported spectrographs: Acton Series spectrographs, including LS785 Multiple-camera & multiple-spectrograph control (with separate instances) Single-frame & sequence acquisition Direct stream to disk: multi-gigabyte data Multiple regions of interest (ROI) Live-frame accumulation/averaging Kinetics, spectra-kinetics, custom sensor modes (if applicable) Auto-dim monitor & auto-orientation for spectra and images Time stamping: track exposure start/end time & frame number SuperSynchro timing control Gate tracking: track/store gate delay & width with each frame Live statistics: min, max, standard deviation, center of mass Trigger & camera/spectrograph shutter controls Demo mode: simulate the performance of any supported Princeton Instruments camera
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PostProcessing Spectral Calibration
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User Interface
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IntelliCal : automated point-by-point intensity & wavelength calibration (up to 10x more accurate than standard calibration) Standard calibration: wavelength space calibration X-axis calibration in wavelength (nm) & wavenumbers (cm -1) USB-powered, NIST-traceable calibration sources Spectrograph alignment helper Step & Glue: broad wavelength range Peak Find Auto-expose
Visual status indicators: experiment progress, background/ateld correction on, image orientation, intensier on/off, experiment error Custom settings dock: drag most often used settings into a s eparate dock Settings search: highlights relevant settings as you type Save & load multiple-user experiment settings Keyboard shortcuts Timing dashboard: visual intensier gate timing control for PI-MAX 3 ICCD cameras
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Acquisition in Princeton Instruments SPE 3.0 format SPE le header contains complete experiment information (can be viewed in XML format) Export data to TIF (16 bits), SPC, FITS, CSV (ASCII) formats Automatically save raw & corrected le data Copy/paste image & spectral data directly into supported Microsoft ® Windows® programs (e.g., Notepad, Word ®, Excel®)
LightField 64-bit Data Acquisition Software
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Extensions & Custom Programming
Background, ateld correction Change image/spectral orientation Software binning Frame combining Cross-sections: X, Y & frame cross-sections (automatic “time vs. intensity” plot generation) Extract data: select ROI & frame range
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Help & Updates File Formats
One-click quick view after acquisition Compare live & previously acquired data Spectral overlay Live auto-scale Zoom & pan controls Live X & Y cross-sections Full-screen mode Multiple-monitor support Option to turn off display during long acquisitions Separate desk copy for ofine viewing/processing of data Playback/review with time stamp & gate tracking information
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Add-ins: customize LightField interface/operation with custom buttons, tabs, etc. from within LightField Automation: control LightField from third-party programs (e.g., Microsoft Visual Basic®, National Instruments® LabVIEW®, MathWorks® MATLAB®) PICAM API: create custom acquisition programs from the ground up
Online help (F1) & PDF manual included Online software updates Field rmware updates for cameras (when available)
* A factory upgrade may be necessary to enable LightField compatibility for certain PI-MAX 3 cameras. ** IntelliCal is an optional LightField feature.
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Computer System Requirements Supported Operating Systems:
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional & Ultimate – 64 bits Minimum Requirements:
• 2 GHz dual-core processor • 4 GB of RAM • 2 GB of available hard-disk space required for installation; additional hard-drive space required for data acquisition/storage • DVD drive • One or more of the following interface ports: - USB 2.0 (for PIXIS, spectrographs, IntelliCal light sources) - IEEE-1394a (for Quad-RO) - GigE (for ProEM, PI-MAX 3, PyLoN)
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Specifcations are subject to c hange. Please
contact Princeton Instruments or your local Princeton Instruments representative for the latest information pertaining to LightField.
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