Measure light. Understand matter.
We give researchers access to optical instrumentation, the expertise to choose the right measurement, and support from experiment planning through to interpreting the data.
Every sample has an answer. Ours is written in light.
You have a sample and a deadline. We are the Optical Spectroscopy and Microscopy Facility at Instituto Superior Técnico: fourteen optical instruments and the people who run them every day. Bring us the question — what is this made of, why does it glow, how large are these particles, is the film uniform — and we measure it with you.
Most people who come to us are not spectroscopists. They are finishing a thesis, writing a report, answering a reviewer. You do not need to name the technique first. You need a result that holds up when someone questions it, and that is what we work towards.
What we can measure, and what measures it.
Five families of optical technique, and the instruments behind each one. Select an instrument to open its full profile.
How much light a sample takes in
Transmission, absorbance and reflectance across the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared. Gives concentration in solution, and colour, transparency and optical band gap in solids and films.
The light a sample gives back
Emission and excitation spectra in steady state, and fluorescence decays resolved in time. Intensity shows how efficient the emission is; the lifetime is sensitive to the local environment and reveals interactions a spectrum alone hides.
Vibrational fingerprints, from two sides
Both techniques read molecular vibrations, and they are complementary: bonds that scatter strongly in Raman are often weak in infrared absorption, and the reverse. Run together, they identify a material with far less ambiguity than either alone.
Where the signal comes from
Confocal and two-photon microscopy resolve structure and place a signal at a position in the sample rather than averaging over it. Two-photon excitation reaches deeper into thick and living samples.
Size and stability in suspension
Dynamic and static light scattering, nanoparticle tracking and zeta potential. Size distribution, molecular weight and whether a suspension will stay dispersed or aggregate.
The work behind the data.
What you get, concretely.
Advanced instrumentation
Fourteen optical spectroscopy and microscopy systems that individual groups rarely maintain on their own, kept calibrated and in working order.
Scientific expertise
You can describe your scientific problem to people who work with these techniques daily, before any measurement is booked.
Technical support
Support runs from experiment planning and sample preparation through acquisition to help with interpreting the result.
Access
Open to groups at Instituto Superior Técnico, to other institutions, and to companies. Access conditions are agreed per project.
Training
Where a technique and a user’s experience allow it, we train users to run measurements themselves.
An honest answer
We will tell you which measurement is worth your time, including when the right technique is not one of ours.
Four steps, starting with a question.
Tell us your question
Describe your sample, your research problem or the measurement you have in mind. You do not need to know the technique yet.
Choose the approach
Together we identify the technique and instrument that can actually answer the question, and what the sample needs to look like.
Run the measurement
The experiment is carried out with scientific and technical support, by facility staff or by you once trained.
Get usable data
You leave with the raw data and the acquisition conditions, plus help interpreting the result when you want it.
What people ask before they write to us.
Write to us with three things: what the sample is, what you want to find out, and when you need it. That is enough. We reply with what we think is measurable, which instrument would do it, and what we would need from you.
No. It is the most common way a project starts. Describing the sample and the question is the useful part; naming the technique is our job, and getting it wrong at this stage costs you weeks.
No. Measurements can be run for you. If you expect to come back often, we would rather train you — it makes you faster and independent.
For several of them, yes, after training and with our agreement. Some systems stay operated by staff because the alignment or the laser safety does not allow otherwise.
Booking is arranged directly with us once we agree on the measurement. The formal booking procedure is being finalised.
Rates differ for internal, external academic and industrial users. Ask us and we will tell you what your case costs before anything is scheduled.
It depends entirely on the technique and the number of samples. We give you an estimate before you commit, and we tell you when the honest answer is that the measurement will take longer than your deadline allows.
Yes. If data from our instruments appears in a thesis, report or paper, please acknowledge the facility.
Have a measurement in mind? Let’s discuss it.
Tell us about your sample, research question or measurement needs. We will help identify the most appropriate approach.
Not sure which technique you need? Describe your sample and your research question. Identifying the right approach is part of what we do.
osm-facility@tecnico.ulisboa.pt
Instituto Superior Técnico, Alameda Campus, Lisbon