How Do Diffraction and Interference Affect Microscopes and Telescopes?

  • Thread starter Thread starter HNM
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Interference
AI Thread Summary
Diffraction and interference are critical phenomena affecting the performance of microscopes and telescopes. In microscopes, diffraction limits the resolution, while telescopes primarily experience interference when light from multiple sources is combined. The discussion highlights that diffraction encompasses all light propagation, with interference being a specific case involving coherent sources. The mathematical analysis of these effects varies, with interference often being simpler due to the discrete nature of the sources involved. Understanding these concepts is essential for optimizing the functionality of optical instruments.
HNM
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
How in microscope there is a phenomena of differaction, and in case of telescope there is interference of light happens ?
 
Science news on Phys.org
Diffraction and interference are related concepts, and you have both in both tools (and everywhere else where light is propagating).
I am not sure what exactly you are asking.
 
thanks
 
HNM said:
How in microscope there is a phenomena of differaction, and in case of telescope there is interference of light happens ?

The normal terminology for the limit of resolution of a telescope is 'diffraction limit'. I wonder whether you are bringing in the idea of interference in the context of multiple telescope arrays.

'Everything' is diffraction, when you get down to it. Interference is a simple example of diffraction where a finite number of small coherent sources are involved. The Maths involved is usually somewhat simpler when you can treat a problem in terms of interference as you are Summing a small number of discrete sources rather than Integrating over a continuous aperture, when analysing diffraction.
 
Thread 'A quartet of epi-illumination methods'
Well, it took almost 20 years (!!!), but I finally obtained a set of epi-phase microscope objectives (Zeiss). The principles of epi-phase contrast is nearly identical to transillumination phase contrast, but the phase ring is a 1/8 wave retarder rather than a 1/4 wave retarder (because with epi-illumination, the light passes through the ring twice). This method was popular only for a very short period of time before epi-DIC (differential interference contrast) became widely available. So...
I am currently undertaking a research internship where I am modelling the heating of silicon wafers with a 515 nm femtosecond laser. In order to increase the absorption of the laser into the oxide layer on top of the wafer it was suggested we use gold nanoparticles. I was tasked with modelling the optical properties of a 5nm gold nanoparticle, in particular the absorption cross section, using COMSOL Multiphysics. My model seems to be getting correct values for the absorption coefficient and...
Back
Top