The resolution of a microscope describes the scale of the smallest detail that is clearly observable through the microscope. For a microscope with a moderately high-quality objective lens, the resolution is approximately equal to the wavelength of light used. By this criteria, what is the smallest detail observable with a microscope that uses ultraviolet light of frequency 1.12 × 1015 Hz? Report your answer in units of micrometers.

A 2mW laser beams of wavelength λ = 6×10 cm is focussed on the retina by a human eye lens of focal length f = 2.5 cm and pupil diameter 2 mm. The intensity on the retina will be of the order of (a) 10¹ W/m² (b) 106W/m² (c) 108W/m² (d) 10²W/m²

The Rayleigh criterion provides a convenient way to describe the theoretical resolution (e.g. an ability to distinguish two bright objects ) of an optical system. The criterion states that two small bright sources of light can be resolved if the first diffraction minimum of the image of one source point just coincides with of further apart then the first maximum of another (see figure below). A converging lens, 34.2 mm in diameter, is used to form images of distant objects. Considering the diffraction by the lens, what angular separation must two distant point objects have in order to satisfy Rayleigh's criterion? Assume that the wavelength of the light from the distant objects is 431 nm. Provide your answer in millidegrees (mdeg). Answer: Choose... +

A physicist is calibrating a spectrometer that uses a diffraction grating to separate light in order of increasing wavelength  (?A,?B, and ?C). He observes three distinct first-order spectral lines at the following respective angles ?m (where m denotes order). ?1 = 12.8°, ?1 = 14.2°, ?1 = 15.0° (a)If the grating has 3,760 grooves per centimeter, what wavelength (in nm) describes each of these spectral lines? at ?1 = 12.8°    ?A=         nm ?1 = 14.2°       ?B=         nm ?1 = 15.0°        ?C=.        nm (b) At what angle (in degrees) would each of these lines be found in the second-order spectrum? for ?A      ?2=   ° for ?B      ?2=    ° for ?C     ?2=   °