Unit 2.1 Flashcards
most common microscope in use today:
the compound microscope
the compound microscope contains:
several lenses that magnify the image of a specimen
objective lens
picks up the light transmitted by the specimen and focus it on the focal plane of the objective lens, creating a magnified image
condenser lens:
focuses the light onto the specimen no magnification
iris diaphragm
restricts the amount of light entering the lens
occular lens (eyepiece)
The image on the objective focal plane is further magnified by the ocular lens, or eyepiece, and projects it onto the human eye
If the objective lens magnifies 100-fold (a 100X lens) and the ocular lens magnifies 10-fold (a 10X lens), the final magnification will be:
100 x 10 = 1000-fold
the most important property of the microscope is not its magnification but its
resolving power (resolution)
Resolution (D) is the ability to
See two nearby points as distinct images. The smaller the value of D, the better the resolution.
Resolution (D) is determined by
The objective lens and its ability to gather the “cone of light” coming from the specimen. The light comes into the objective lens as a cone due to diffraction by the specimen.
the smaller the value of D, the _
better the resolution
a represents
half the angle of the cone of light
lambda is:
the wavelength of incident light in nm
n is:
the refractive index of the medium between the
specimen and the objective
The lower the wavelength, the
better the resolution.
The shortest wavelength visible light is
450 nm (blue).
A fundamental limitation on all microscopes:
a given type of radiation cannot be used to probe details smaller than its own wavelength (l).
A fundamental limitation on all microscopes: a given type of radiation cannot be used to probe details smaller than its own wavelength (l).
We can partially circumvent this limitation by increasing
a, which will decrease D.
The best objectives have an a value of
70°
Thus as a increases, the denominator:
ncreases, lowering the value of D).
A fundamental limitation on all microscopes: a given type of radiation cannot be used to probe details smaller than its own wavelength (l).
Another way to circumvent this limitation:
increase the refractive index of the medium between the specimen and the objective lens (n)
No matter how many times the image is magnified, the light microscope can never resolve objects that are less than
~ 0.2 μm in size
Three common types of light microscopy:
(1) Brightfield
(2) Phase contrast
(3) Differential interference contract (DIC) or nomarski interference
Brightfield light microscopy:
no contrast other than natural is provided, image is projected on a background of the cone of light that enters the objective lens.