xCore Electronics

xCore Electronics is Bruker’s next‑generation internal electronics architecture for Ultima 2Pplus and Investigator Plus multiphoton microscopes, with upgrades to how scanning, signal acquisition, timing, and device synchronization are performed across the entire imaging system. By unifying real‑time data acquisition, signal generation, and system control within a single FPGA‑based platform, xCore delivers approximately 2x improvement in signal‑to‑noise ratio with ~50% noise reduction.

xCore’s integrated rtCore and ioCore architecture provides precise, deterministic synchronization of scanners, lasers, detectors, spatial light modulators, and external devices. This unified timing framework improves system reliability, simplifies complex experimental setups, and enables advanced multiphoton workflows. xCore was also engineered as a scalable platform, making it well suited for current and emerging applications, including FLIM, OptoVolt voltage imaging, and high‑speed multimodal experiments.

xCore delivers measurable performance enhancements compared with prior Signal Core and third-party electronics for cleaner images and more reliable quantification. These improvements include:

• ~50% reduction in noise, improving baseline stability
• ~2× SNR improvement under identical imaging conditions
• Higher sampling rates, enabling more accurate representation of fast detector signals
• Improved timing precision, reducing jitter and synchronization errors
• Enhanced detector signal fidelity, supporting both intensity‑based and time‑resolved measurements

rtCore enables real‑time data acquisition

The rtCore subsystem is responsible for real‑time sampling and processing of detector signals. Implemented using advanced FPGA technology, rtCore enables deterministic timing, low-latency data handling, and precise synchronization with laser and scanner timing.

Key capabilities include:

• High‑speed digitization (up to 125 MHz) synchronized to the excitation laser
• Real‑time data routing with minimal latency
• Improved photon detection fidelity for quantitative imaging

ioCore provides signal generation and system control

The ioCore subsystem provides centralized generation, routing, and synchronization of system control signals. ioCore coordinates galvo and resonant scanners, laser modulation, SLMs, detectors, and external devices through a unified timing framework.

Key capabilities include:

• Digital and analog signal generation and routing (GPIO)
• Precise timing alignment across multiple devices
• Deterministic synchronization for complex multiphoton workflows

FPGA‑based architecture gives real-time control

xCore is built around a modern FPGA‑based design that uniquely provides a tightly integrated system. This approach enables deterministic control, higher throughput and timing precision, and field‑upgradable capability to support future technologies.

xCore provides unified timing and multi‑device synchronization for the whole multiphoton imaging system, forming a scalable foundation for modular upgrades and application-focused add-ons. From time‑resolved measurements to high‑speed functional imaging, these modules leverage xCore's real-time acquisition and system control architecture to support unique workflows — even within complex experimental setups.

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Functional Imaging with Fluorescence Lifetime Measurements

Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) complements intensity‑based multiphoton imaging by measuring the time‑resolved fluorescence decay of molecules following pulsed laser excitation. By analyzing photon arrival times rather than signal brightness alone, FLIM provides functional contrast for applications such as metabolic state assessment, protein interactions (FRET‑FLIM), and microenvironment sensing, even when fluorophores share the same emission channel.

xCore (with optional GigaQuant module) provides the precise laser synchronization and timing control required for accurate, pixel‑resolved lifetime measurements in advanced multiphoton workflows. These capabilities help researchers:

• Resolve fluorescence lifetime differences independent of signal intensity
• Quantitatively assess functional and molecular interactions at the microscale
• Perform reliable lifetime measurements within complex, synchronized multiphoton experiments