Resolving Power
Question 1: What is Wave Optics?
Answer:
In Physics, Wave Optics is the branch of optics where the phenomenon like ray approximation of geometric optics is not valid such as diffraction, polarization or interference, etc.
Question 2: Explain the resolving power of an optical device.
Answer:
The resolving power of an optical instrument is the ability of the device to distinguish between two objects that are close together and produce distinct images of these objects.
Question 3: Define the angular limit of resolution.
Answer:
The angular limit of resolution or angular resolution is the angle subtended by the two distinct objects at the objective lens of the optical instrument, when these two objects are just observed as separate objects.
Question 4: What are Airy Discs?
Answer:
A diffraction pattern of concentric rings which is created by circular apertures, and grows dimmer as we go away from the center. These concentric circles are known as Airy discs.
Question 5: What is the resolving power of the Human Eyes?
Answer:
The resolution power of human eyes is about 1′ that means Human eyes can see objects placed at a distance of about 100 km apart.
Related Resources
Resolving Power of a Microscope and Telescope
Wave optics, also known as Physical optics, deals with the study of various phenomena such as diffraction, polarization, interference, resolution, and other occurrences. Wave optics is the segment of optics that focuses on the study and behavior of light and its wave characteristics. Wave optics particularly describes the connection between waves and rays of light. According to the wave theory of light, light is a form of energy, it travels through a medium in the form of transverse wave motion. The speed of light traveling through a medium depends upon the nature of the medium.
Here, the approximation is carried out by using ray optics for the estimation of the field on a surface. Integrating ray-estimated field over a mirror, lens, or aperture for the calculation of the scattered or transmitted field also gets involved later on. Wave optics stands as a witness to the scientific study of understanding the nature of light. One is the particle nature of light and the other is the wave nature of light.
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