Module P6.4 Optical Instruments: Flexible Learning Approach To Physics

F L E X I B L E L E A R N I N G A P P R O A C H T O P H Y S I C S
Module P6.4 Optical instruments

1 Opening items 5 Some more complex optical instruments
1.1 Module introduction 5.1 The camera
1.2 Fast track questions 5.2 The compound microscope
1.3 Ready to study? 5.3 The refracting telescope
2 Magnification, aberration and resolution 5.4 Binoculars
2.1 Magnification 5.5 The reflecting telescope
2.2 Aberrations of lenses and mirrors 5.6 The spectrometer
2.3 Resolution and angular resolving power: 6 Closing items
the Rayleigh criterion 6.1 Module summary
3 The eye 6.2 Achievements
3.1 The structure of the eye 6.3 Exit test
3.2 Defects of vision: long sight and short sight Exit module
4 Some simple optical instruments
4.1 The magnifying glass
4.2 The pinhole camera
FLAP P6.4 Optical instruments

COPYRIGHT © 1998 THE OPEN UNIVERSITY S570 V1.1
1 Opening items
1.1 Module introduction
This module begins with a discussion of magnification, aberration and resolution and moves on to show how
these concepts are important in the design of a variety of optical instruments, including the eye. Throughout
most of the module we treat light as travelling in rays, because geometrical optics is the most useful way to
approach optical instruments. The main exception is in the discussion of resolution and angular resolving power,
where the wave aspects of light are paramount. There are a number of suggested simple experiments which you
may like to try whilst working through the module; these will give you a better ‘feel’ for the phenomena, but
they are optional.
Section 2 defines three different measures of magnification — transverse magnification, angular magnification
1 1
and magnifying power — and describes the appropriate situations in which they can be applied. Practical optical
1 1
instrument design must successfully limit the effects of the various aberrations present in real lenses and mirrors,
including spherical aberration, coma and chromatic aberration. The first two may be reduced by careful design
of the refracting or reflecting surfaces whilst the third is minimized for lenses by using achromatic doublets.
Section 2 also describes resolution and angular resolving power, as being limited by diffraction, and introduces
the Rayleigh criterion of resolution.

Section 3 describes the structure and function of the eye, along with its most common deficiencies of long sight
and short sight. Several of the more subtle features of the eye are mentioned, including how its graded index lens
reduces spherical aberration, how its resolution is limited and how depth perception is achieved.
Section 4 describes some simple optical instruments, including the magnifying glass and the pinhole camera.
This leads, in Section 5, to the photographic camera and a comparison of its function with that of the eye.
In this section also is the main discussion of the more important instruments which use more than a single
optical component. This discussion includes the compound microscope, the refracting telescope, binoculars,
various designs of reflecting telescope and finally the spectrometer.
Study comment Having read the introduction you may feel that you are already familiar with the material covered by this
module and that you do not need to study it. If so, try the Fast track questions given in Subsection 1.2. If not, proceed
directly to Ready to study? in Subsection 1.3.

1.2 Fast track questions
Study comment Can you answer the following Fast track questions?. If you answer the questions successfully you need
only glance through the module before looking at the Module summary (Subsection 6.1) and the Achievements listed in
Subsection 6.2. If you are sure that you can meet each of these achievements, try the Exit test in Subsection 6.3. If you have
difficulty with only one or two of the questions you should follow the guidance given in the answers and read the relevant
parts of the module. However, if you have difficulty with more than two of the Exit questions you are strongly advised to
study the whole module.
Question F1
Sketch the ray diagram for the arrangement of lenses in a simple refracting astronomical telescope to show how
an image is formed. Explain how the ability of a telescope to resolve small features on the object depends on the
size of the telescope’s objective. Why is the eyepiece normally adjusted so that the final image is formed at
infinity?

Question F2
With the aid of a diagram, describe what is meant by an achromatic doublet and say how this can be used to
correct for lens aberrations.
Question F3
Distinguish between the terms transverse magnification, angular magnification and magnifying power.
Which would be the appropriate term to describe the magnification produced by: (a) a microscope;
(b) the lens of a film projector; (c) a telescope?

Study comment Having seen the Fast track questions you may feel that it would be wiser to follow the normal route
through the module and to proceed directly to Ready to study? in Subsection 1.3.
Alternatively, you may still be sufficiently comfortable with the material covered by the module to proceed directly to the
Closing items.

1.3 Ready to study?
Study comment To begin the study of this module you will need to be familiar with the following terms: diffraction,
diffraction grating, dispersion, electromagnetic spectrum, focal length, focal point, geometrical optics, lenses (spherical,
concave/convex, biconvex, thin lens, planoconvex, lens maker’s equation), mirrors (spherical, concave/convex), objects and
images (real object0/image, virtual object0/image, inverted, erect, object0/image distance), optical axis, paraxial, prism, ray,
refraction, refractive index, spherical mirror equation, thin lens equation, total internal reflection and wavelength. If you are
uncertain about any of these terms then you can review them now by referring to the Glossary, which will indicate where in
FLAP they are introduced. The following Ready to study questions will allow you to establish whether you need to review
some of the topics before embarking on the module.

Question R1
A thin converging lens of focal length 8 cm is used to form an image of an object 2 cm in height, which is placed
1 1
12 cm away from the lens along the optical axis. Using a ray diagram, drawn to scale, determine the final
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position of the image, its nature (real or virtual), size and orientation (erect or inverted).
Question R2
A thin converging lens of focal length 6 cm is used to produce a magnified image of a flea situated on the optical
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axis of the lens a distance of 4 cm from its centre. Using the thin lens equation, determine the position, nature
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(real or virtual) and orientation (erect or inverted) of the image.
Question R3
A thin diverging lens of focal length 10 cm is used to form an image of an object 3 cm in height, placed at a
1 1
distance of 12 cm from the centre of the lens. Sketch the ray diagram showing the image production.
1

Question R4
A thin beam of white light is allowed to strike a triangular prism so that dispersion takes place. With the aid of a
diagram show the effect this has on the beam of white light. What conclusions may be drawn concerning the
speed of propagation of the different colours which make up white light?
Question R5
A small object is placed on the optical axis, 20 cm away from a concave mirror with radius of curvature 15 cm.
1 1
Describe qualitatively the nature and position of the image formed and indicate how this will change as the
object is moved along the axis towards the mirror, so that it reaches a final position 10 cm from the mirror.
1

2 Magnification, aberration and resolution
The function of optical instruments is to extend the performance of the human eye in a variety of ways.
For example, we may need to magnify the view of an object, if it is too small (using a microscope) or if it is
very far away (using a telescope), or we may need a permanent record (obtained using camera), or more
information about the colour composition of the light from the object (as revealed by a spectrometer).
In conjunction with these devices we may need to replace the eye by a completely different detector of the light,
because the eye is too insensitive or otherwise inadequate. For example, the object may be too dim to be seen or
its electromagnetic radiation may lie outside the visible spectrum; both these situations require other devices
(such as photomultipliers) which often replace the eye altogether. It is sensible to separate the function of the
optical instrument from that of the detector, admitting of course that at some stage both are required.
The optical instrument produces an image of an object and this image must then be detected in some way.
In the eye itself, the two functions of image production and detection are combined in a very compact but
complex way and evolution has optimized its design; some of the subtleties of this design will become apparent
in this module. We will look at the eye as an optical instrument in Section 3 but before this we need to set out a
few general considerations which are needed in the design of any optical instrument which produces its images
using lenses or mirrors.

2.1 Magnification
Probably the simplest and most widely used optical instrument is the simple magnifying glass (this will be
discussed further in Subsection 4.1). This is a single convex (converging) lens which helps us see objects by
making them appear larger. More complex optical instruments also often magnify the view of an object, but how
should this magnification be characterized? There are three main ways in which the magnification of an optical
instrument can be defined but not all of them are sensible to use in a given situation. These three definitions
introduce three different measures of magnification: transverse magnification, angular magnification a n d
magnifying power.

When an optical system produces an image of object
an object, then the ratio of the transverse
dimension of the image to that of the object is
h
called the transverse magnification. image
For example, if the object and image are
linked by a single lens, as shown in
Figure 1a, with u and v being the object and h'
image distances, respectively, then:
transverse magnification
(a) u v
h′ v
Mtran = = (1) ☞
h u Figure 1a 3 Transverse magnification is the ratio of image and object
heights;
where we have used the similar triangles in the diagram. While the transverse magnification seems an obvious
definition to use there are two problems with it. First, Equation 1 shows that it is a meaningless quantity if either
the object or image is situated at infinity; both must be at finite distances. Secondly, the transverse magnification
does not, in general, relate directly to the magnification perceived by the eye unless the object and image are at
the same distance from the eye.

It is a matter of common experience that the object
nearer an object is to our eye, the larger it
appears to be. A five pence piece held at
arm’s length appears to be about the same h
size as the Moon, because both subtend about
the same angle, 1°, at the eye. In an optical image θo
instrument the perceived magnification will h' θI
be set by the relative sizes of the angles
subtended by the image and the object at the
eye, or by the angular magnification, as z'
shown in Figure 1b and defined in Equation (b) z
2.
Figure 1b Angular magnification is the ratio of the angles subtended
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angular magnification by image and object at the eye

θ tan θ I h′ z ′
Mang = I ≈ = (2) ☞
θO tan θ O hz
The magnification of a telescope is best characterized by its angular magnification, as we will see in Subsection
5.3.

As an object is brought nearer and nearer to the eye, it will subtend a larger and larger angle at the eye, and so
appear larger. This procedure is limited because at a certain minimum distance it becomes impossible for the eye
to focus on the object. This distance is called the least distance of distinct vision (D) ☞ and the position is
called the near point. We will discuss this further in Section 3 but meanwhile we note that the largest apparent
size an object can have, and still remain focused by the eye, is when it is placed at the near point. For an average
eye the near point is at about 25 cm from the eye. You might wish to try this out with your own eyes by
1
measuring the minimum distance at which you can still read this page; as you approach the page the text will
appear larger but at some point you will feel your eye straining to focus and after that you will be unable to
focus the text. Try it now.

From this we can define a third measure of magnification
for an optical instrument, called the magnifying power,
θI
which is the factor by which the angular size of the image Final image
h'
(θ0I) is increased over the maximum angular size for the formed by
optical system
object (θ0D) when it is placed at the near point. From Figure
1c:
magnifying power object moved

θ tan θ I to near point
Mpower = I ≈ (3) h θD
θD tan θ D
This is the most appropriate magnification if we have an (c) D

accessible object which we can examine directly with the
unaided eye at whatever distance we choose, but require to Figure 1c Magnifying power is the ratio of the angles
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see more detail, such as would be provided by viewing the subtended (at the eye) by the image and the object when
object through a magnifying glass or a microscope . at the near point.

Question T1
Given that the Moon has about the same angular size as a five pence piece, held at 1 m from the eye, and that the
1
diameter of the Moon is 3.5 × 106 m, estimate the distance from the Earth to the Moon.4❏
1

2.2 Aberrations of lenses and mirrors
In elementary discussions of optical systems it is usually assumed that the system is ‘ideal’. By this we mean:
o that lenses and mirrors have perfectly formed spherical surfaces,
o that all objects lie very close to the optical axis,
o that all rays involved make small angles to this axis (i.e. are paraxial rays),
o that all lenses are thin, so each lens produces the same point image of a point object for all wavelengths of
light from that object.
Such idealized systems are amenable to calculation, but in the real world these assumptions are not always valid
and their limitations must be considered in the design of real instruments. Lenses in optical instruments are often
thick not thin, and the paraxial approximation breaks down if the aperture of the system is large. Objects cannot
always be taken as lying on the optical axis and real lenses have dispersion, as the refractive index
(and therefore the focal length) varies with wavelength. All these problems mean that a lens or a mirror does not
produce a point image of a point object. Collectively, these departures from the ideal are described as
aberrations and they limit the image quality. The task of the optical instrument designer is to overcome as many
of these problems as possible, helped enormously by today’s available computer power, which allows numerical
calculations and ray tracing through even the most complex of optical systems. It is not appropriate to develop
these methods here but we will at least identify some of the important aberrations they help to overcome.

Spherical aberration
A conventional lens, with spherical surfaces, causes parallel rays which pass through the outer parts of the lens
to cross the optical axis at points closer to the lens than rays through the central parts of the lens — the focal
1 1
length of the lens increases smoothly as the rays get closer to the optical axis. This causes a point-like object to
have an image that is not point-like1—1an effect known as spherical aberration. ☞

As Figure 2 indicates, parallel
rays travelling close to the
optical axis of a converging lens
will come to a focus at a point F,
but due to spherical aberration cross-section
rays at greater distances from
the axis will meet at points other
than F, if they meet at all. In
F
fact, after refraction, all such
rays are tangential to a roughly
conical surface, a longitudinal
cross section of which is called the caustic curve
a caustic curve. ☞ A screen
placed at right angles to the
optical axis, at a point closer to
the lens than the paraxial focus
F, will show a disc of light, Figure 2 3 A lens displaying spherical aberration.
representing a transverse cross
section of this conical focal
region.

The diameter of the disc will depend on the precise location of the screen, but there will generally be some point
at which the diameter of the disc is minimized. This minimum diameter image represents the least (spherically)
aberrated image of a point object on the optical axis and is called the circle of least confusion. It is always
found closer to the lens than the paraxial focus F.
Spherical aberration may be removed by grinding a lens so that it has aspheric surfaces (i.e. not spherical).
Such aspheric lenses used to be both expensive and relatively difficult to make, but computer-controlled
grinding and polishing machinery now makes this much easier.

Another approach is to assemble the lens from a
set of prisms (Figure 3a), whose angles are chosen
to give the correct deviation for any axial ray and
so produce a common focus. This system is bulky
and expensive.
rays brought to
a focus at the
same point
(a) parallel rays
Figure 3a 3 An idealized lens made up from a series of prisms

A similar but simpler solution is to use large flat
plastic lenses, called Fresnel lenses. ☞
These have a series of stepped sections on their
surface which act like a set of prisms, bending the
light towards a common focal point. They are
particularly useful where large apertures are a Fresnel lens
required. uses this idea
to produce a
thin, flat lens
(b)
Figure 3b Section through a Fresnel lens.

A frequently used method of reducing spherical aberration, using only spherical surfaces, is to divide the
deviation of rays passing through the lens equally between the two faces of the lens. ☞ This is achieved by
giving the two faces different radii of curvature, so that the lens is asymmetric. This does not eliminate spherical
aberration but lens shapes can be obtained which minimize spherical aberration (Figure 4). The curvatures
required depend on the object distance for which they are to be used. The most generally effective lens shape is
very nearly planoconvex. This same principle leads to spectacle lenses having a meniscus shape. Here, when the
eyes are looking to one side, the angled pencil of rays which enter the eyes will still be nearly normal to the lens
surfaces.
an asymmetric a meniscus
a plano-convex converging a meniscus
converging lens converging lens diverging
lens
lens
Figure 43 Varying the curvature of opposite faces of a lens.

One simple way of reducing spherical aberration
is to reduce the lens aperture, allowing only B
those rays which pass near the centre of the lens A

to contribute to the image (Figure 5). This will
produce a less bright image and ultimately, if the
aperture is made very small, diffraction effects
(such as those discussed in the next subsection) F
may also become a problem. The process of (b) (a)
reducing the size of an aperture is known as A'
stopping down a lens.
B'
Figure 5 The effect of stopping down a lens to reduce spherical

3
aberration. The circles of least confusion (a) from reduced aperture

rays A and A′, (b) from almost full-aperture rays B and B′.

Spherical aberration also occurs in reflection from a
spherical mirror, as is shown in Figure 6a.
F C
(a)
Figure 6a Spherical aberration for a concave spherical

3
mirror. For a concave spherical mirror the focal point for rays
near the axis is half way between the centre of curvature and
the mirror. Rays at the periphery are brought to a focus nearer
the mirror.

You may have seen this effect produced by a cup of tea or coffee in bright
sunlight. The parallel rays of sunlight are reflected across the surface of the drink
(Figure 7), producing a ‘V’-shaped caustic curve, rather than a single focus. You
may notice that the point of this ‘V’ is at the focal point for paraxial rays, half-way
between the wall of the cup and the centre of curvature; rays which are further
from the axis turn through smaller angles than do central rays.
Figure 7 Spherical
3
aberration producing a
caustic curve by reflection
from the inside of a cup of
tea.

If the reflecting surface is parabolical (i.e. of
parabolic cross section, as in Figure 6b) there is
no spherical aberration and all incoming parallel
rays come to the same focal point. ☞
This constitutes a major advantage of paraboloidal
reflectors and is used to good effect in reflecting
telescopes and in satellite dishes.
(b)
Figure 6b Spherical aberration for a concave parabolic

3
reflector. For a parabolic reflector, all the rays meet at the

focus, just like a satellite dish.

light from the
Coma middle of the lens
concentrated here
A second source of aberration appears when the
rays are non-axial. ☞ This is due to an Y
asymmetric deviation of non-axial rays by
different parts of the lens, bringing them to a X
focus at different points, as shown in Figure 8.
This aberration is called coma and its effect light from outer
causes the straight edges of the image to be region of lens
spreads out here
curved. If the object is bright, then little flares
of light, looking like comet’s tails, may be seen
pointing away from the axis. In Figure 8, only
those rays passing through the central region of
the lens reach Y to produce a concentrated spot
of light. Light from the outer regions of the lens
is spread out in the vicinity of X. In this way Replace with
lens of this
the light from a point object will give a small parallel rays shape
bright spot with a characteristic comet’s tail.
Figure 8 Diagram showing how coma is produced, and the lens

3
shape to reduce it.

light from the
Coma can be reduced by changing the shape of middle of the lens
concentrated here
the lens. Fortunately, the shape required to
produce minimum spherical aberration is very
Y
nearly the same as that required for zero coma.
It is therefore possible to produce individual X
lenses which display no coma and little
spherical aberration — such lenses are very
1 1
light from outer
nearly planoconvex (see Figure 8). region of lens
spreads out here
Replace with
lens of this
parallel rays shape
Figure 8 Diagram showing how coma is produced, and the lens

3
shape to reduce it.

Chromatic aberration
The third major source of aberration in lenses is caused by the refractive index of a material varying with
wavelength (the process called dispersion). Both the refraction produced by a lens and its focal length will
therefore depend on the wavelength and as light passes through the lens the various colours will be separated
and imaged differently. This is called chromatic aberration, ☞ and it produces coloured fringing around the
image.
Question T2
On passing through a prism, violet light is refracted through a greater angle than red light. For which colour of
light does the glass have the lowest refractive index? What does this tell you about the respective speeds of red
and violet light in passing through glass?4❏

The lens maker’s equation (Cartesian version)
for a lens made from glass of refractive index µ
with surfaces of radii of curvature r1 and r 2 ,
gives the focal length f as:
white light
lens maker’s equation
1  1 1
= ( µ − 1)  −  (4) ☞ V I B G Y O R
f  r1 r2 
Usually µ decreases with increasing
wavelength and so a lens will have a shorter
(a)
focal length for shorter wavelengths, with
violet light being brought to a focus nearer the
lens than red light, as shown in Figure 9a. Figure 9a Chromatic aberration: dispersion by the lens results in
3
different focal lengths for the different wavelengths present in white

light, with the letters representing the colours of the rainbow (I
stands for indigo)

The different coloured
object
images will thus have
different sizes (Figure
9b) and when they longitudinal
chromatic aberration
overlap on a screen the FR
result is an image with FV
coloured fringes.
(b) transverse violet

chromatic image
aberration
red
image
Figure 9b 3 Chromatic aberration: separate images are formed for each wavelength.

Chromatic aberration can be reduced by using a combination of lenses low high
called an achromatic doublet (Figure 10). It consists of two lenses dispersive dispersive
glued together with Canada balsam. ☞ One lens is a converging lens power power
made from crown glass, which has a lower refractive index and has less
dispersion for a given focal length (i.e. lower dispersive power).
The other lens is a weaker diverging lens made from flint glass, with a
higher dispersive power. This combination is converging but the two
component lenses can be chosen to have equal but opposite dispersions
for two of the wavelengths present (e.g. red and blue) and dispersion converging diverging
which partially cancels at other wavelengths. lens crown lens flint
glass glass
In summary, we see that if we want to produce optical instruments
which are relatively free from chromatic aberration, spherical aberration Canada balsam
and coma then the components should be achromatic doublets of
roughly planoconvex shape. Since the process of dispersion requires Figure 10 3 An achromatic doublet.
refraction, we also note that mirrors are free from dispersion and hence
from chromatic aberration.
Study comment In the remainder of this module we will assume that all lenses used have been designed to minimize these
aberrations, but for simplicity we will refer to them simply as lenses.

2.3 Resolution and angular resolving power: the Rayleigh criterion
Another important limitation on the performance of lenses and mirrors arises from the wave nature of light.
The passage of light is governed by the general principles of wave propagation and diffraction theory.
Geometrical optics, using rays and straight line propagation, ignores these diffraction effects. When light passes
through a lens or is reflected from a mirror, the boundary of the lens or the mirror restricts the wavefront and so
acts as an aperture. Diffraction leads to divergence of light beams and to images which are not point images but
rather extend over small regions. The smaller the aperture of any optical system then the more significant is the
diffraction; it is particularly important where we are trying to distinguish fine detail of two images which are
very close together, since each image has a minimum size which is set by diffraction. In particular, if two images
are produced so close together that diffraction causes the two to overlap, then it may be impossible to distinguish
that there are two separate images and we say that the system is unable to resolve the two images. This question
of resolution has two aspects. First, there is a fundamental imaging resolution of the optical system, called its
angular resolving power; this is due to diffraction and is determined by the aperture of the system.
Secondly, the detection of the image (e.g. in the eye or on a film) is limited by the minimum area of the detector
which will respond to light. We will consider detector resolution later, but first we discuss the angular resolving
power of an imaging system.

When light from a point object passes through
an optical system with a finite aperture the
point image (or circle of least confusion),
predicted by geometric optics, is replaced by a
diffraction pattern of the aperture.
For a circular aperture this diffraction pattern,
θ
which is known as an Airy pattern, h a s
circular symmetry and consists of a bright
central region (the Airy disc), centred where
the point image would be, and surrounded by
bright rings which become fainter with
increasing distance. Figure 11a shows the D
intensity across such a pattern.
(a)
Figure 11a The Airy pattern formed by diffraction of a parallel

3
beam of light falling on a small circular aperture of diameter d

Airy’s analysis showed that the first dark ring lay at an angle θ to the axis of the aperture, given by
1. 22 λ
Airy’s formula θ = 4☞
d
where d is the aperture diameter, λ is the wavelength of the light and θ is in radians. For a point object at
infinity, a lens or mirror of focal length f produces an image at its focus, so the radius r of the first dark ring is
1. 22 λ f
r =
d
The important fact to note about these equations for θ and r is that the larger the aperture of the objective or
mirror, the smaller the spread of the Airy pattern and the more well-defined the image. This is as we anticipated,
since diffraction increases with the reduction of the aperture.

If two closely adjacent images are produced
by an optical instrument then each image will
be an Airy pattern and the two images will be
easily resolved if their Airy patterns are well
separated (Figure 11b). ☞ (b) two point sources completely resolved
Figure 11b 3The images of two point sources which are completely
resolved
If the images are sufficiently close that their Airy patterns overlap then the resultant intensity is normally the
simple sum of the two intensity patterns. If the images are not too close the summationintensity will still show a
central dip in intensity between the two central maxima and the two will be resolved. If the two are too close
then there will be no such dip, but just a central maximum, and so they will appear as a single image.

Just what constitutes the resolution limit of two images is
subjective, so Lord Rayleigh, ☞ working in the last century,
proposed an arbitrary but simple criterion for the resolution limit of
the diffraction patterns of point sources of equal brightness,
generated by circular apertures. He said that two such images — 1
1and therefore their sources — could be just resolved if the central

1 1
maximum of one pattern coincided with the first minimum of the

second (see Figure 11c). This critical condition for resolution is
(c) two point sources just resolved (Rayleigh criterion)
known as the Rayleigh criterion.
Figure 11c The images of two point sources
3
which are just resolved, according to the

Rayleigh criterion.

Since the central maximum and first minimum of the Airy pattern are separated by an angle θ, this angle is the
smallest resolvable angle between two images and consequently it is also the smallest resolvable angle between
two point objects. This angle is known as the angular limit of resolution, or sometimes as the
angular resolving power of the optical system concerned.
The angular limit of resolution (or angular resolving power) θ for an optical system of entrance aperture
diameter d, for light of wavelength λ is
1. 22 λ
θ = (5)
d
where the angle θ is in radians provided λ and d are measured in the same units.
Notice that the angular resolving power of any optical instrument is a fundamental limitation of its aperture and
is unaffected by any magnification produced. In any magnification the two overlapping Airy patterns will be
equally magnified and the resolution unaffected — an indistinct image is equally indistinct, however much it is
1 1
magnified!
These resolution limits of optical systems, using visible light, apply equally to systems using electromagnetic
radiation of other wavelengths. ☞

Question T3
Compare the angular resolving power of the following imaging instruments (details of the italicized instruments
are to be covered later). Take the wavelength of light as 5 × 10−7 m.
1
(a) the eye with an effective aperture of 0.5 cm

1
(b) a pair of binoculars using a typical aperture of the front lenses

(c) the Yerkes Observatory optical telescope, with a diameter of roughly 1.0 m
1
(d) the Manchester radiotelescope, with a diameter of 76.2 m0, using microwave radiation of wavelength
1
22 cm4❏
1

Diffraction also plays a part in the performance of a
parabolic reflector. The arguments concerning the diffraction
pattern of a circular aperture are not restricted to incoming
parallel radiation being brought to a focus; they apply
equally to parallel radiation being produced from a point
source, placed at the focus of a reflector. If we reverse the
direction of light in Figure 6b we have the case of an ideal
point source of radiation located at the focus of a parabolic
reflector. Geometrical optics predicts that the reflected
radiation will form a perfectly parallel beam (unlike the case
of a spherical reflector). In practice, diffraction leads to the
reflected radiation not being perfectly parallel, but spreading (b)
over a range of angles in accordance with the Airy pattern,
with the angular direction of the first minimum with respect Figure 6b Spherical aberration for a concave
3
to the optical axis being given by Equation 5. parabolic reflector. For a parabolic reflector, all the
rays meet at the focus, just like a satellite dish.
1. 22 λ
θ = (Eqn 5)
d

The difficulty of increasing the angular resolving power of radio telescopes has been solved in a number of
ways. The most effective solution is to combine the signals from several radio telescopes separated by great
distances. In this way it is possible to regard an array of radio telescopes as having an effective diameter of
several kilometres. The extreme case is where telescopes in different continents are combined to give an
effective diameter approaching that of the Earth.
Question T4
A satellite in an orbit at 25 000 km from the Earth transmits information by means of microwaves of 10 cm
1 1
wavelength, generated at the focus of a parabolic dish of 3 m diameter. Find the angular spread of the central
1
beam reflected from the dish and hence find the transverse dimension of the beam when it reaches the Earth.4❏

3 The eye
The eye is the most familiar optical instrument. It is remarkably sensitive and versatile but its limitations must be
appreciated in order to understand the need for and the design of other optical instruments. We begin with the
structure of the eye and then consider some of its common shortcomings.
ciliary vitreous humour
3.1 The structure of the eye muscles
Figure 12 shows a section through the eye. Light enters the eye
through the transparent cornea, at which refraction first takes place.
iris
It then passes through the aqueous humour and, by way of the
variable sized aperture or pupil in the iris (the coloured part of the retina
pupil
eye) enters the lens (of the eye), which is held in place by lens
suspensory ligaments. The focal length of the lens is altered by aqueous
contraction or relaxation of the ring-shaped ciliary muscles which humour
surround it, allowing the combination of cornea and lens to focus the cornea
light from an object on to the retina. In fact, the cornea produces a
substantial part of the imaging power of the eye. Signals from the suspensory optic
retina are relayed to the brain via the optic nerve. Much of the eye is ligaments nerve
filled with a clear jelly-like material — the vitreous humour.
1 1
Figure 12 Section through the human eye.

Clear vision requires an optimum amount of light. The eye is dazzled by too much light. With too little light, the
detail is lost, and so too eventually is the colour. The eye automatically controls the light intensity at the image
by changing the size of the pupil. On a bright day the pupil is small, but in the dark it becomes large (dilated).
☞
The light-sensitive surface of the eye is the retina. This is a thin layer made up of about 125 million cells of two
types, the rods and the cones. The rods do not respond to the fine detail of the retinal image, but they are very
sensitive and provide vision at low light intensities. The cones are found mainly in the central region of the
retina, and consist of cells which are sensitive to either red, green or blue wavelengths but they are ineffective at
low light levels.
To establish the performance of the eye try this test for yourself; if you normally wear glasses take them off
before you begin.
Look out of the window. How far can you see clearly — for example, are the leaves on a distant tree sharply
1 1
defined or indistinct? When looking at a distant object your eye should feel relaxed because the ciliary muscles
are not tightened. When eyes are relaxed, the parallel light rays from a distant object can usually be brought to a
focus on the retina. Is this true for your own eyes? The furthest point at which you can see clearly is described as
your far point and for the normal eye this is at infinity.

In Subsection 2.1 you saw that the closest distance at which the unaided eye can focus is called the
least distance of distinct vision D and that this position is called the near point. Both the near and far points
can of course be changed using lenses, as in spectacles, but you may be more surprised to discover that they can
also be changed by reducing the aperture of the eye. Try the following experiment.
Take a piece of card or paper and make a pinhole in it. ☞ Close one eye and look through this pinhole with the
other eye. Look first at a distant tree and examine the detail which is now visible. Try this now.
You will probably find that with the distant object much detail is lost — for example, if you could distinguish
1 1
individual leaves on the tree beforehand, you probably can’t do so through the pinhole. As we saw in
Subsection 2.3, the resolution of any optical system, that is its ability to distinguish two nearby objects, is
limited by the aperture of the system. This pinhole experiment directly demonstrates the reduction in the
resolution of the eye (or visual acuity), when its aperture is dramatically reduced. In the eye there are two
principal contributions to this resolution limit. One of these is the angular resolving power of the eye lens itself,
which is a diffraction limitation associated with any optical component of finite aperture. The other factor
involved in this resolution limit is the detector resolution — in this case, the finite size of the individual retinal
1 1
receptors. Once the image size becomes less than this receptor size, the eye can no longer distinguish any further
reduction in size.

If the images of two nearby small objects are confined to the same retinal receptor then the two objects can no
longer be distinguished. The resolution limit of the normal eye occurs when the two sources are separated by
about 1′ of arc. ☞ We are unable to see detail, or resolve two sources, with angular separations less than this.
This angular limit corresponds to a distance of about 0.07 mm at the near point.
1
Question T5
Use the information given above to estimate, for the normal unaided eye: (a) the greatest distance at which the
individual letters on a page can just be distinguished; (b) the size of the smallest object on the Earth which could
just be seen from the Moon. (See Answer T1).4❏
Now take the pinhole again and look at the effect on the near point by looking through the pinhole at the text on
this page. How close to the text can your eye now come and still be able to focus the text? Try this now.
If you tried this you were probably amazed by the effect on the near point! Instead of being about 25 cm it may
1
well have become about 2 cm — so close as to be almost at the surface of the eye. You were probably not
1 1 1
expecting to find that a pinhole has a high magnifying power, but the text certainly looks much larger!
According to our definition of magnifying power this is true, although the view is rather dim, since very little
light is admitted.

The process by which we gauge the distance to an object involves a complex and subtle interpretative process in
the brain. The size of the image on the retina is determined by the angle subtended by the object at the eye.
This in turn depends not only on the distance to the object but also on its size. In depth or distance perception the
brain interprets the information coming from both eyes, along with information coming from the muscular
adjustments needed to point both eyes at the object. Our previous experience of the world is also involved in this
interpretation.

Spherical aberration is minimized in the eye’s lens
through an impressive piece of biological
evolution.
The refractive index of the lens material is not
uniform but decreases away from the centre, so
that the outer regions do not produce excessive
rays brought to
refraction, such as would occur with a simple lens. a focus at the
Figure 3a may help you to understand this, if you same point
consider the effect that progressively lower
refractive indices for the prisms would have on the
paths of rays passing through the system. It is
(a) parallel rays
interesting to note that this same technique, of
grading the refractive index through a material, Figure 3a 3 An idealized lens made up from a series of prisms
has recently been re-invented by scientists in fibre
optics technology ☞ — although for quite a
1 1
different purpose!

3.2 Defects of vision: long sight and
short sight D
For some people the near point is much further (a)
away than 25 cm and only more distant objects
1
can be focused on to the retina.

This is called long sight or hypermetropia.
The extreme case of this is where the
minimum focal length of the eye lens is longer NP D
than the eye cavity; it will then be impossible (b)
to focus a n y object, however distant.
Long sight can be corrected using an auxiliary
converging lens, as is shown in Figure 13.
Light coming from an object placed at the
normal near point, D, then appears to come
NP D
from the eye’s own near point, NP, allowing a
(c)
sharp image to be produced.
Figure 13 Long sight: (a) an object placed at the normal near point D produces a blurred image on the retina;
3
(b) an object placed at the eye’s near point, NP, forms a sharp image on the retina;
(c) the presence of a converging lens causes an object placed at D to appear to be at the eye’s near point.

For some other people, the far point is much ∞
closer than infinity and only nearby objects eyeball too long
so blurred image
can be focused on to the retina. This is called I formed on retina
short sight, or myopia. Because the eye
(a)
cannot relax sufficiently, the maximum focal
length is shorter than the eye cavity and
parallel rays cannot be focused at the retina.
Short sight can be corrected using an rays from eye’s
auxiliary diverging lens as shown in Figure FP
own far point
focus on retina
14. Parallel rays coming from infinity then
(b)
appear to come from the eye’s own far point
FP, allowing a sharp image to be formed.
FP
(c) diverging
lens
Figure 14 Short sight: (a) the image position in a myopic eye with an object at infinity;
(b) rays from the eye’s far point FP (which is closer than infinity) focus on the retina;
(c) a diverging lens makes incoming parallel rays appear to come from the eye’s far point and the short sight is corrected.

4 Some simple optical instruments
In this section we describe some instruments which use only a single optical component. The simple pinhole
could be taken to be the simplest such instrument, since its magnifying power (of around 10) stems from its
ability to allow the eye to be brought much nearer to the object than normal. However, the loss of light and
resolution mean that the pinhole has very limited usefulness and so we move on to consider the next simplest
device.

4.1 The magnifying glass parallel lines
∴ image appears
at infinity
A simple magnifying glass consists of a single
convex lens, with the object placed closer than the
focal point, so that the image is virtual, enlarged
and beyond the focal point. If we wish to observe h
the object with minimum eye strain we arrange θI
that the eye is fully relaxed (unaccommodated), F f θI
with the image formed at infinity, rather than
(a)
consciously focused (accommodated). This
requires the object to be placed at the first focal
point F of the convex lens, as shown in
Figure 15a.
Figure 15a Ray diagrams for a magnifying glass with: the
3
We see that θ0I ≈ tan1θ0I = h0/f. object placed at the focal point and the image formed at infinity;
It is assumed that the eye is placed very close to the lens so that D
can be measured from the lens.
(The symbol ∴ means ‘therefore’.)

The magnifying power (given by Equation 3)
θ tan θ I
Mpower = I ≈ (Eqn 3) θI
θD tan θ D
Final image
formed by h'
optical system
is the ratio of this angle to the angle subtended by the
object when placed at the near point, θD ≈ h0/D, (Figure 1c)
and so we have:
θI  h D
=    =
D
Mpower = object moved
θD  f h  f to near point h θD
The magnifying power is then simply given by the ratio of

the distance to the near point (25 cm) divided by the focal
1
length of the lens. A typical value of f for a simple (c) D

magnifier is ~10 cm, giving a magnifying power of ~ 2.5.
1
The magnifying power of a magnifying glass with the Figure 1c Magnifying power is the ratio of the angles
3
image at infinity is equal to the least distance of distinct subtended (at the eye) by the image and the object when
vision divided by the focal length of the lens at the near point.
Mpower = D f (6)

If we allow the eye to be accommodated
(not fully relaxed) then it is possible to obtain a
larger magnifying power than D/f by bringing the
magnifying glass closer to the object, so that the
object distance is less than f. The largest sharply h'
focused image will then be found when the image
is at the near point, as is shown in Figure 15b. h θI
In this case h′/D ≈ θ0I and h0/D ≈ θ0D hence
θ  h′   D  h′ u θI
Mpower = I = =
θD  D h   h
D
(b)
We see from Equation 1,
h′ v
Mtran = = (Eqn 1)
h u Figure 15b Ray diagrams for a magnifying glass with the
3
object brought closer (i.e. between F and the lens) and the image
that when the image is formed at the near point, formed at the near point. It is assumed that the eye is placed very
the (maximum) magnifying power is the same as close to the lens so that D can be measured from the lens.
the transverse magnification. ☞

Question T6
A magnifying glass of 10 cm focal length produces a virtual image 30 cm from the lens. Find the position of the
1 1
object and hence find the transverse magnification produced by the lens in this arrangement.4❏

We can now find an alternative expression for the largest magnifying power of a magnifying glass from the
thin lens equation (using the Cartesian sign convention): ☞
1 1 1
− = (7)
v u f
Multiplying both sides of Equation 7 by v and rearranging it gives us:
v v
= 1−
u f
For maximum Mpower the final image has v = −D, so we have:
Maximum magnifying power of a magnifying glass (when the image is at the near point ):
h′ v D
( Mpower ) max = = = 1+ (8)
h u f
We see that the maximum magnifying power is obtained by adding one to the value of the magnifying power
with the unaccommodated eye.

4.2 The pinhole camera
The pinhole camera is the simplest camera
and functions without the use of any lens, using
the sharpness of image produced by a small
hole as its basis. ☞ A pinhole camera can be
made, for example, by closing off a tube at one
end with card, making a pinhole in the card and
then forming a transparent screen at the other objects at different distances card with
end with greaseproof paper. If the pinhole is pinhole
pointed at a bright source, such as the filament screen with both

images sharply
of a clear electric light bulb, then a sharp image defined
of the filament is produced on the paper and
can be seen from the back. Figure 16 shows Figure 16 With a pinhole camera, everything is in focus.
3
that the image is a projection of the object

through the pinhole — each point on the object acts as the source of a single ray, which passes through the
1 1
pinhole, taken as having negligible size, and arrives at a unique point on the image at the screen. The image size
depends both on the angular size of the object and on the distance between the pinhole and the screen. The
image is sharp for any object distance but the illumination is very low, since very little light is admitted.

✦ Suppose an attempt were made to admit more light by enlarging the pinhole substantially.
Would this increase the illumination and would there be any other consequences?
To increase the illumination without blurring the image significantly requires the use of a lens, instead of the
pinhole. The eye itself is one such example and the photographic camera is another.

5 Some more complex optical instruments
We now begin to consider real optical instruments, first the camera and then the microscope, the telescope, and
the spectrometer. Most of these instruments use achromatic doublets, arranged to minimize aberrations, but in
order to keep things simple our diagrams will show the combinations of lenses as if they were simple lenses.
ciliary vitreous humour
5.1 The camera muscles
focusing ring
The structures of the eye and (ciliary muscles)
the camera have much in iris
common, as can be seen by
comparing Figure 17 and retina
pupil
film
Figure 12. Both need to lens (retina) lens
perform the same three aqueous
functions: humour
cornea
diaphragm
(iris) suspensory optic
shutter ligaments nerve
Figure 17 The components of a simple

3 Figure 12 Section through the human eye.
camera and their equivalents in the eye.

o focusing the image on to the photosensitive surface of a detector
o controlling the light intensity of the image
o detecting the light at the image
The camera lens, being made of glass, is not deformable in the same way as the eye lens and so its focal length is
fixed. Focusing in the camera is achieved by changing the distance between the lens and the photographic film,
which combines the roles of detector and recorder of the image. This film is coated with an emulsion containing
silver compounds. When the emulsion of a black and white film is exposed to light and subsequently developed,
small grains of silver are formed, making it darker and resulting in a negative image in which the light areas of
the object appear as dark areas on the film and vice versa. Photographic films are made with different
sensitivities to light, or with different speeds, with high speed film having the maximum sensitivity. ☞
The total amount of light energy falling on the film (i.e. the exposure) ☞ is controlled in two ways.
The shutter speed of the camera governs the time of illumination of the film (i.e. the exposure time) and this is
the principal means used to control the amount of light reaching the film. A second control comes from the
variable aperture or iris diaphragm, which is exactly analogous to the pupil in the iris of the eye.
Both these means of controlling the exposure have secondary effects.

If the object moves during the exposure time then there will be a range of image positions produced on the film,
leading to a blurred photograph. Fast shutter speeds are needed to photograph objects whose angular position is
changing appreciably, such as occurs with rapidly moving objects or with nearby moving objects. The secondary
effect associated with the iris diaphragm is on the range of object distances which can be simultaneously made
sharp in the photograph. This point requires a little more explanation.
With the pinhole camera it was possible to produce an image which was simultaneously sharp for any object
position. With a lens, this is no longer the case. A particular lens position, focused for a particular object
distance, will produce an acceptably sharp image over only a limited range of object distances, called the
depth of field of the lens at this focus position. Alternatively, an acceptably sharp image for a particular object
distance, can be produced over a range of lens positions, called the depth of focus of the lens at this object
position. ☞ On the basis of the comparison with the pinhole camera, it is not surprising to find that both the
depth of field and the depth of focus increase as the aperture of the lens is reduced. You should appreciate that
this result has nothing to do with diffraction, but follows from geometrical optics. A given point on the object
acts as a source of several rays, passing through different parts of the lens, with each ray arriving at a slightly
different point on the image. As the aperture is reduced, the range of such rays passing through the system
decreases and so the depth of field and the depth of focus both increase. Diffraction works in the opposite sense;
the angular resolving power of a lens decreases as the aperture is reduced, so the visible detail and image
sharpness is downgraded — but we need consider this only in the diffraction limit of the performance.
1 1

In this discussion of depth of field and depth of focus we have used the term ‘acceptably sharp’.
This is necessary because the nature of the detector itself presents resolution limits. In the eye, for example, this
is set by the size of the retinal receptors; in the film it is set by the size of the individual silver grains.
If the detector resolution were to be increased, for example by using finer grains, then the depth of field and the
depth of focus would change.
✦ If the detector resolution were to be increased, keeping other factors the same, would the depth of field
increase or decrease?

aperture
object positions image positions
A' B"
A B
A" B'
point image of A
perceived as a disc
on screen at B
Figure 18 3 The depth of field over which there is no apparent change in image quality. ☞
Figure 18 illustrates how the aperture of a lens controls the depth of field. The extreme rays through the aperture
from a point object at A are brought to a focus on the detector at B. Due to detector resolution the detector sees
this image as a small disc of light, rather than as a point. If the object is moved to A′ the image moves beyond
the detector to B′ — the disc of light at the detector is now the unfocused image. Similarly, moving the object
1 1
away to A″ produces an image at B″ and again there is a disc of light at the detector. If we choose the positions
A′ and A″ so that the discs of light are the same as the minimum detectable size, then the distance from A′ to A″
is the depth of field. Examination of Figure 18 shows that if the lens aperture is reduced, the extreme rays make
smaller angles to the optical axis and the depth of field will be increased: a full analysis shows that the depth of
field is inversely proportional to the diameter of the lens aperture.

One of the uses of the iris diaphragm of a camera is to change the depth of field deliberately. For example, in
landscape photography a large depth of field is usually desirable so that both near and far objects are in focus,
while in portraiture a small depth of field can be used to make the sharply focused sitter stand out from the
blurred surroundings.
The effective aperture of a camera lens is usually specified by a quantity known as the f-number.
This is obtained by dividing the focal length f of the lens by the diameter of the lens aperture d
i.e. f-number = focal length/aperture diameter = f/d (9)
So for a lens with f = 56 mm and d = 20 mm, the f-number is 56 mm/20 mm = 2.8. This is often denoted by f0/2.8.
1 1 1 1
If a lens has an adjustable iris diaphragm then the lens has an adjustable f-number. Normally, lenses are
classified according to their maximum f-number and so for example, we might say that a lens is an f/2.8 lens.
If the aperture is very close to the lens then the amount of light passing through the lens is proportional to the
area of the aperture in the diaphragm and therefore to the square of the aperture diameter d. From Equation 9 we
see that for a given focal length, d is inversely proportional to the f-number, so the amount of light admitted is
proportional to 1/(f-number)2 .

As a consequence, the iris diaphragm of a camera usually has a number of predetermined aperture sizes or stops
which successively halve the area of the aperture; if the aperture were changed by one stop to a higher f-number
then, for the same exposure, twice the exposure time would be required. The usual f-numbers are 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8,
11, 16 and 22. The available exposure times (shutter speeds) therefore also change by factors of about two — 1
1typical values (in seconds) are 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, and 1/1000.
Question T7
The light conditions and the film in a camera are such that a good film exposure would be obtained with a shutter
speed of (1/125) s at f/11. The photographer wishes to photograph a moving object and decides on a shutter
1
speed of (1/1000) s. What stop should be used? If the lens has a focal length of 50 mm, what is the diameter of
1 1
the aperture at these two stop values?4❏

5.2 The compound microscope
The lenses and ray diagram for the compound microscope are shown in Figure 19. The objective (lens) is the
lens, or combination of lenses nearest to the object and the eyepiece (lens) is the one nearest to the eye. ☞
Figure 19 A compound
eypiece
3
intermediate image
objective
microscope. The objective
produces a real, inverted,
final image
intermediate image between Fe
object
and the eyepiece. This acts as
the object for the eyepiece
Fe
h
which produces an enlarged,
h1
inverted virtual image. If this is
at the near point of the eye,
θI
h2
then maximum angular
magnification is obtained. The
eye has been shown at a large
distance from the eyepiece, so
fo
fe
fe
that the construction rays may
be included, but in reality the
D
eye is placed at the eyepiece
and the final image is at a
distance D from the eyepiece.
In microscopes (as well as in binoculars and refracting telescopes) it is the function of the objective to gather a
large amount of light from the object and to create a real image. This image is then enlarged by the eyepiece
(which may be used in the same way as a simple magnifying glass) to form a virtual image to be seen by the eye.
The objective of a microscope is usually of very short focal length, with the focal length of the eyepiece much
longer; both focal lengths are much shorter than the distance between the lenses.
To find the magnifying power of the microscope, we note that the angle subtended by the image is shown in the
diagram as θ0I which, being a small angle, is equal to h 2 /D. This is assuming that this virtual image is being
formed at the eye’s near point and that the eye is very close to the eyepiece.

To work out the angle subtended by the object with the
unaided eye we simply have to imagine that the object is
θI
placed at the near point; consequently the small angle Final image
formed by h'
θ0D, which it subtends at the eye, will be given by h 0/D optical system
(from Figure 1c but not shown on Figure 19).
We therefore have from Equation 3
θ tan θ I
Mpower = I ≈ (Eqn 3)
θD tan θ D
object moved
to near point h θD
that
θI
=  2   = 2
h h h
Mpower =
 D   D
☞
θD
(c) D
h
Figure 1c Magnifying power is the ratio of the angles
3
The resulting fraction h2 /h can also be written as
subtended (at the eye) by the image and the object when
(h2/h1 )(h1 /h ), which shows that the transverse at the near point.
magnification of the compound microscope is equal to
the transverse magnification of the eyepiece multiplied
by the transverse magnification of the objective.

✦ A microscope is often used with the final image at infinity. Explain why this is desirable and say where the
intermediate image should then be formed.
Question T8
A compound microscope has an objective and an eyepiece separated by a distance of 180 mm and having focal
1
lengths of 2 mm and 25 mm respectively. Where must an object be placed so that the final image, as seen
1 1
through the eyepiece, is formed at infinity?4❏

A typical low power objective (Figure 20) would have
a focal length of about 1.5 cm, a magnifying power
1
(magnification) of × 10, and would be made up from a

pair of achromatic doublets, corrected for spherical
aberration and coma.
There are many different designs for compound eye lens
eyepieces. In instruments designed primarily for
measurement (as opposed to simple viewing) it is an
advantage to have crosshairs or a graticule
incorporated into the optical system, and their image
field lens
should be in focus at the same place as the image
being viewed. The Ramsden eyepiece (see Figure 21)
is such an example. It is made up from two lenses; the Figure 20 A low
3
field lens and the eye lens. power objective. field stop
and
crosshairs
Figure 21 A Ramsden eyepiece showing the position of the field stop and crosshairs.
3
In practice the eye lens would be an achromatic doublet.

The role of the field lens is to enable the eyepiece to accept rays over a wide
range of angles whilst still remaining a relatively small sized component 1
— to collect all this light, a single lens eyepiece would have to be large and
1
heavy. An aperture which defines the maximum acceptance angle (and therefore
the maximum field of view) is situated in front of the field lens and is called the
field stop. The intermediate image is formed by the objective in the plane of the
eye lens
field stop, where the crosshairs are situated. The eyepiece lenses then make the
rays from the intermediate image parallel before they enter the eye, so that both
the final image and the crosshairs are seen in focus.
field lens
field stop
and
crosshairs
Figure 21 A Ramsden eyepiece showing the position of the field stop and crosshairs.
3
In practice the eye lens would be an achromatic doublet.

In microscopes, a large magnification is produced by placing the object very close
to the objective lens and a large amount of light is collected from the object to
make the image clearly visible. ☞ These conditions would generate a lot of
spherical aberration if a symmetrical objective were used. If you examine the
external face of a microscope objective, it will probably appear flat.
For short object distances, a planoconvex lens produces minimum spherical
aberration because ray deviation is divided equally between the surfaces. ☞
By having the plane side facing the incident light (Figure 22) the curved surface
will then receive rays which are more nearly parallel to the optical axis.
The resultant image therefore displays less aberration than it would with a
symmetrical objective, since rays distant from the axis will be brought to a focus
nearer the focal point.
Figure 22 A planoconvex
3
microscope objective. The

paths of rays in the lens are
almost parallel to the axis.

5.3 The refracting telescope
The simple refracting telescope, making use of two lenses, was one of the first optical instruments to be
invented. The first systematic astronomical observations using such a device were made by Galileo Galilei
(1564–1642). He heard that a telescope had appeared in Venice in the spring of 1609 and was able to construct
his own, based on its description, although the previous year there had already been some debate between
opticians in the Netherlands, including Hans Lippershey (1587–1619), as to who had been the first to develop an
instrument for seeing at a distance. Almost anyone familiar with the magnifying properties of a single lens, and
having access to two convex lenses for example, would instinctively examine the effect of putting them in
succession and thereby ‘inventing’ a telescope (and/or microscope) of sorts. Telescope design consists of the
selection of the lens types to be used.
The main impetus for developing such an instrument was two-fold; as an aid to navigation and trade, the
terrestrial telescope was clearly of great value, whilst the greater sophistication it offered in making astronomical
observations was of considerable importance at a time when debate was raging over new cosmologies.
These two areas of application led to the development of two distinct types of telescope:
o The astronomical telescope, in which it is acceptable that the final image may 0be inverted.
o The terrestrial telescope, in which an upright final image is required.

Both cases view parallel
light from a distant object
and so the objective image fo fe
is real, diminished and
inverted, produced at its
focal point FO . In the
simplest form of Fe, Fo
θo θI
astronomical telescope h
(Figure 23) this objective
image is made to coincide
with the focal point Fe of
the eyepiece, which then
produces an enlarged,
virtual image at infinity, objective lens virtual image
at infinity eyepiece lens
and this is viewed by an
observer’s relaxed eye.
The essential difference Figure 23 A simple astronomical telescope. The objective has a long focal length whilst
3
between such a telescope that of the eyepiece is much shorter.

and a microscope is that in the telescope the intermediate image is produced at the objective’s focus, whereas in
the microscope it is further away.

It follows that the
transverse magnification of
the objective is much less fo fe
than 1 for the telescope and
greater than 1 for the
microscope.
Fe, Fo
Since the object being θo θI
h
viewed by a telescope is at
infinity, the angular
magnification
(see Subsection 2.1)
is the most appropriate
measure of the performance virtual image
objective lens
of the instrument. at infinity eyepiece lens
Figure 23 A simple astronomical telescope. The objective has a long focal length whilst
3
that of the eyepiece is much shorter.

From Equation 2
fo fe
angular magnification
Mang = I ≈ =
θO tan θ O hz Fe, Fo
θo θI
(Eqn 2) h
and Figure 23 we can see

that the angular
magnification M ang is given
by;
virtual image
Mang = θ0I0/θO objective lens
at infinity eyepiece lens
where Figure 23 A simple astronomical telescope. The objective has a long focal length whilst
3
θ0I = h/fe and θΟ = h/fO that of the eyepiece is much shorter.
i.e. angular magnification of a simple refracting telescope = fO/fe (10)

So in order to make Mang as large as possible we need the focal length of the objective to be as long as possible
and the focal length of the eyepiece to be as short as possible. If you have ever looked through a telescope at the
night sky you will have noticed how small an area it covers. This is a direct consequence of the telescope having
a large angular magnification, but it can be very frustrating when trying to find a particular star since it is hard to
judge the relative position of one star to another without reference to the background stars. This is why some
high power telescopes have a small low power sighting telescope attached to them, to help with initial
alignment.
When trying to observe very distant or faint objects we need to collect as much light from them as possible.
For this reason the objective lens of a telescope is made as large as possible. Unlike a camera, a telescope does
not have an iris diaphragm to limit the size of the aperture and it is the objective lens itself which fulfils this role
and therefore acts as the aperture stop.
In general, if we illuminate the aperture stop of an optical system, then its image, formed by any lenses which
precede it, is called the entrance pupil. For a telescope, the objective is the aperture stop; there are no lenses
preceding it and therefore the objective is also the entrance pupil. All rays entering an optical system have to
pass through the entrance pupil, but the more extreme angled rays passing through the entrance pupil may be
unable to travel all the way through the system.

fo fe
The exit pupil is
similarly defined
as the image of the
aperture stop
formed by all
lenses which do de
f o l l o w it. In a
telescope the exit
pupil is simply the bulb
image of the Fo, Fe

eyepiece
exit pupil (all rays
objective formed pass through here)
objective
by the eyepiece, ground-glass
and a ray diagram screen
showing this is
given in Figure 24. Figure 24 Diagram showing formation of the exit pupil in a simple astronomical telescope.
3
It is clear from this The edge of the objective is being used to provide object points which are imaged by the eyepiece
figure, that of all and the purpose of the ground-glass screen is to provide uniform illumination of the objective.
possible rays entering the objective, those emerging from the telescope must be within the range of rays shown.
Also the emerging light is most concentrated at the exit pupil and therefore this is where the eye should be
placed so that the maximum amount of light — and therefore information — reaches it.
1 1 1 1

fo fe
do de
bulb
Fo, Fe
eyepiece
exit pupil (all rays
pass through here)
objective
ground-glass
screen
Figure 24 Diagram showing formation of the exit pupil in a simple astronomical telescope.
3
The edge of the objective is being used to provide object points which are imaged by the eyepiece
and the purpose of the ground-glass screen is to provide uniform illumination of the objective.
From similar triangles in Figure 24;
(dO0/2)/fO = (de0/2)/fe4and therefore4fO0/fe = dO0/de

but fO0/fe = Mang4so that4M ang = dO0/de
So the angular magnification of a simple telescope is given by
Mang = objective diameter/exit pupil diameter.
This provides us with a practical method of measuring a telescope’s angular magnification. First we measure the
diameter of the objective, then we illuminate the objective, either with a bulb and a ground glass screen or
directly with a ‘pearl’ bulb, and measure the diameter of the objective’s image formed by the eyepiece on a
screen. We then have the magnification from the ratio of these two diameters.
Question T9
An astronomical telescope has an angular magnification of 40 times. If the diameter of the objective is 12 cm and
1
the length of the tube is 1 m calculate the focal length of the objective and the diameter of the exit pupil.4❏
1

A telescope with a wide aperture not only permits the collection of a large amount of light but also has the
further advantage of a large angular resolving power, as described in Subsection 2.3, enabling the observer to
distinguish between sources of light which are close together or see fine detail on the same object. In a telescope,
the superimposed diffraction patterns of two close stars produced by the objective would be enlarged by the
eyepiece. However, no amount of magnification can improve the resolution of the system. ☞
Perhaps you are now ready to invent a terrestrial telescope!
Question T10
Sketch a ray diagram showing how a third converging lens may be placed between the objective and eyepiece so
as to produce an upright final image from a simple refracting telescope.4❏

5.4 Binoculars
Binoculars consist of an identical pair of terrestrial telescopes, set side
by side at a distance which can be adjusted to the user’s eye separation.
Each telescope usually has a compound convex objective and eyepiece
and the image inversion which this type of system usually produces, is
removed by introducing erecting prisms between the lenses.
The erecting system may consist of a pair of 45°–90°–45° prisms which,
when used in the ‘total internal reflection’ mode, shown in Figure 25,
are called Porro prisms. They are arranged at right angles to one
another so that the first prism produces a vertical inversion and the
second a horizontal inversion. The prisms have the additional advantage Figure 25 Image inversion by Porro
3
of reducing the overall length of the telescopes by ‘folding’ the optical prisms as used in some binoculars.
path between the lenses.
The presence of the prisms means that the optical axis of an objective is displaced horizontally from that of the
corresponding eyepiece. The prisms can therefore be oriented so that the distance between the objectives is
greater than between the eyepieces and therefore further apart than the eyes, thus giving an enhanced
stereoscopic vision. As with all terrestrial telescopes, the separation of objective and eyepiece is adjustable so
that focusing over a range of object distances can be achieved.

5.5 The reflecting telescope
The function of the objective of a refracting telescope is to gather as much as possible of the light emitted from
the object and to focus it to form the intermediate image. The larger the diameter of the objective, the greater the
amount of light it will collect. There are however disadvantages in using large lenses — these are 1 1
(i) the difficulty and cost of producing them, (ii) their great weight, and (iii) the problems of minimizing their
chromatic aberration.
Reflecting telescopes are designed as a relatively lightweight and accurate method of increasing the diameter of
the entrance pupil in order that brighter and more distinct images can be seen. They also have the advantage of
having no chromatic aberration (before the eyepiece), since the light does not have to pass through a dispersive
medium. ☞ As was discussed in Subsection 2.2, spherical aberration can also be avoided by using an aspheric
surface.

The design problem of a reflecting telescope is that
of observing the image which will be formed on the
mirror’s optical axis if that axis points at the object.
One solution is to turn the mirror so that the image
falls outside the path of the incoming rays, as in
Figure 26a, but this introduces aberrations. ☞ concave
mirror
F
eyepiece
(a)
Figure 26a Comparison between off-axis, Newtonian and

3
Cassegrain reflecting telescopes. Off-axis reflector: the main

reflector is turned so that the image is not on the optical axis.

The solution devised by Sir Isaac Newton
(1642–1727) had a small plane secondary mirror
inside the tube which reflected the light rays through plane
mirror
a right angle to an eyepiece positioned at the side of
the telescope. F concave
mirror
eyepiece
(b)
Figure 26b Comparison between off-axis, Newtonian and

3
Cassegrain reflecting telescopes. Newtonian reflector: a plane

mirror is placed at 45° to the optical axis, between the focus
and the reflector. The image is formed at the focal point of the
eyepiece so that, as before, a virtual image is formed at
infinity to be viewed by the unaccommodated eye.
An alternative system, which maintains axial
symmetry, is the Cassegrain reflector in which
the light is reflected from a secondary curved convex concave
mirror mirror
mirror and brought to a focus through a small
hole in the main reflector. ☞ F
eyepiece
(c)
Figure 26c Comparison between off-axis, Newtonian and

3
Cassegrain reflecting telescopes. Cassegrain reflector: a convex

reflector forms an image which coincides with the focal point of the
eyepiece. A virtual image is formed at infinity, to be viewed by the
unaccommodated eye.

5.6 The spectrometer
In the early days of astronomy one of the main tasks was to map the positions and relative brightnesses of the
stars. However the light from stars gives us more information than simply position and brightness. By analysing
the distribution of energy with respect to wavelength in the light from stars we can begin to find out much more
about their relative motions, the elements contained within them and even their origins and ultimate destiny.
The one device which is central to unravelling the information contained within the light from stars is the
spectrometer. As its name implies, its primary function is to disperse electromagnetic radiation and measure the
intensities of the radiation in the spectra produced — its application to astronomy is just one of the many tasks
1 1
for which it is employed.

An optical spectrometer (as shown in Figure 27) turntable
has three main parts: collimator diffraction
o the collimator is a means of producing a light grating
source
parallel beam of light from a single slit, which
is illuminated by the source of light under θ
investigation. It is fixed to the base of the slit
instrument.
o the turntable is a flat stage on which some (a)
dispersive element, such as a prism or
diffraction grating is mounted. ☞
telescope
The turntable can be rotated and the angle of
rotation is measured from a scale.
slit
parallel rays
(b)
Figure 27a/b The spectrometer showing:

3
(a) the arrangement of components as viewed from above;

(b) the collimator;
o t h e telescope — this is able to rotate
1 1 turntable
independently of the turntable and its relative
collimator
position can be measured by means of a light
diffraction
grating
vernier against the turntable scale. source
The eyepiece of the telescope contains a cross
θ
wire with which the angular position of a slit
particular wavelength of light can be found.
If the spectrometer were to be used to
measure intensities as well as positions then (a)
the telescope eyepiece would be replaced by

an optical detector. telescope
eyepiece
(c) crosswires
Figure 27a/c The spectrometer showing: (a) the arrangement of

3
components as viewed from above; (c) the telescope.

6 Closing items
6.1 Module summary
1 The magnification of an optical system may be described in one (or more) of three ways:
transverse magnification, angular magnification and magnifying power.
h′ v
44transverse magnification44 Mtran = = (1)
h u
44angular magnification4 Mang = I ≈ = (2)
θO tan θ O hz
θI tan θ I
44magnifying power4422 Mpower = ≈ (3)
θD tan θ D
2 The spherical aberration of a lens is associated with the reduction in focal length of the outer parts of the
lens compared with the central parts. Coma arises when oblique rays focus at different positions from axial
rays. Chromatic aberration occurs because dispersion by the lens results in the focal length for violet light
being shorter than the focal length for red light.

3 Spherical aberration and coma in convex lenses may be much reduced by ‘bending the lens’ to a near
planoconvex shape. Chromatic aberration is minimized by cementing a high index convex lens to a low
index concave lens to make a converging achromatic doublet in which the dispersions of the two glasses
cancel one another.
4 The angular resolving power of any optical system is diffraction limited by its finite aperture. The image of
a point source created by a system with a circular aperture shows this diffraction as a circular Airy pattern.
The Rayleigh criterion for the resolution of two adjacent Airy patterns is that the maximum of one pattern
falls on the first minimum of the other. The angular resolving power thus increases with the diameter of the
aperture. The ultimate limit to resolution is set by the relationship between the size of the entrance aperture
d and the wavelength λ of the radiation used
1. 22 λ
44angular resolving power44 θ = (5)
d
5 The simple defects of vision, i.e. long and short sight, are attributed to the inability of the eye lens to focus
images of near and far objects on the retina. Simple lenses enable these defects to be corrected.
6 The magnifying glass creates an enlarged, erect and virtual image of an object placed closer to the lens than
the focal point.

7 The pinhole camera and its limitations may be used to provide insight into the construction and operation of
the conventional camera. The f-number of the lens in such a camera specifies the aperture d of the lens in
terms of the ratio f0/d. This determines the depth of field, and exposure time for a given film and level of
illumination.
8 The compound microscope is an instrument for looking at very small objects by using an objective to
produce an enlarged real intermediate image which is then further enlarged by an eyepiece used as a
magnifying glass. The performance of a microscope is given by its magnifying power.
The Ramsden eyepiece is an example of a compound eyepiece used in some microscopes and other optical
instruments.
9 The telescope is an instrument for looking at distant objects. A large objective lens (in the refracting
telescope) or concave mirror (in the reflecting telescope) collects light from the object to form a reduced real
intermediate image at the focus. As in the microscope, this image is enlarged by an eyepiece acting as a
magnifying glass. The magnification of a telescope is best described by its angular magnification.
10 The spectrometer is an example of an optical instrument which brings together many of the elements of
other instruments. It is used to disperse and measure the wavelengths in a light beam.

6.2 Achievements
Having completed this module, you should be able to:
A1 Define the terms that are emboldened and flagged in the margins of the module.
A2 Apply the terms transverse magnification, angular magnification and magnifying power appropriately to
optical instruments.
A3 Describe the major lens defects of spherical aberration, coma and chromatic aberration and explain how
they may be reduced.
A4 Describe angular resolving power and the Rayleigh criterion. Calculate angular resolving power, given the
aperture and wavelength.
A5 Describe the main structural features of the eye.
A6 Describe the main defects of vision and identify the means used to correct them.
A7 Describe the behaviour of a magnifying glass using ray diagrams.
A8 Describe the operation of the pinhole camera and the conventional lens camera. Interpret and use the
terms: depth of field, depth of focus and f-number. Compare the behaviour of the eye and the camera.

A9 Describe the arrangement of lenses used in a compound microscope and use this to construct ray diagrams
showing its operation.
A10 Describe the arrangement and operation of a Ramsden eyepiece.
A11 Describe the arrangement of lenses used in astronomical and terrestrial refracting telescopes and draw ray
diagrams showing their operation.
A12 Describe the use of erecting prisms in binoculars.
A13 Distinguish between the Newtonian and Cassegrain reflecting telescopes.
A14 Describe the component parts and general operation of a spectrometer.
Study comment You may now wish to take the Exit test for this module which tests these Achievements.
If you prefer to study the module further before taking this test then return to the Module contents to review some of the
topics.

6.3 Exit test
Study comment Having completed this module, you should be able to answer the following questions each of which tests
one or more of the Achievements.
Question E1
(A5 and A8) 3 Complete Table 1 comparing the eye and the camera.
Table 14For use with Question E1.
Function Eye Camera
light sensitive surface photographic film
ciliary muscles distance setting ring
corrects for spherical graded refractive index
aberration
cone cells fast film

Question E2
(A3 and A6) Explain why a person with hypermetropia (long sight) needs to wear glasses which have
3
converging lenses. Why are these lenses likely to be meniscus shaped? Sketch a diagram which shows how
refraction of parallel rays takes place with a converging meniscus lens.
Question E3
(A2 and A7) A magnifying glass has a focal length of 10 cm. Compare its magnifying powers when used to
3 1
view images formed at the far point (assumed to be at infinity) and at the near point (taken as 25 cm).
1
Assume that the observer’s eye is placed very close to the lens.

Question E4
(A2 and A9) Draw a ray diagram for a compound microscope to show how a virtual image may be formed at
3
the eye’s near point. Using this diagram describe how the magnifying power is related to the linear
magnification of each of the lenses.
Question E5
(A2 and A11) The focal lengths of the objective and eyepiece of an astronomical refracting telescope are
3
100 cm and 10 cm, respectively. Find (a) the angular magnification of the telescope, and (b) the angle subtended
1 1
by the image, seen by an eye very close to the eyepiece, of a building which is 55 m high, situated at a distance
1
of 5 km.
1

Question E6
(A4 and A13) A Newtonian reflecting telescope has an aperture diameter of 25 cm. It is being used to observe
3 1
two distant point sources which are close together. If the mean wavelength of light from these sources is
6 × 100−7 m calculate the minimum angular displacement they must have so that they may be clearly
1
distinguished.
Question E7
(A14) 3Describe the component parts and operation of an optical spectrometer.
Study comment This is the final Exit test question. When you have completed the Exit test go back to Subsection 1.2 and
try the Fast track questions if you have not already done so.
If you have completed both the Fast track questions and the Exit test, then you have finished the module and may leave it
here.


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F L E X I B L E L E A R N I N G A P P R O A C H T O P H Y S I C S

Module P6.4 Optical instruments

FLAP P6.4 Optical instruments

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(real or virtual) and orientation (erect or inverted) of the image.

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angular magnification by image and object at the eye

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magnifying power object moved

This is the most appropriate magnification if we have an (c) D

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(a) parallel rays

Figure 3a 3 An idealized lens made up from a series of prisms

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Figure 3b Section through a Fresnel lens.

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Figure 43 Varying the curvature of opposite faces of a lens.

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those rays which pass near the centre of the lens A

Figure 5 The effect of stopping down a lens to reduce spherical

aberration. The circles of least confusion (a) from reduced aperture

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Figure 6a Spherical aberration for a concave spherical

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Figure 6b Spherical aberration for a concave parabolic

reflector. For a parabolic reflector, all the rays meet at the

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Figure 8 Diagram showing how coma is produced, and the lens

shape to reduce it.

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Figure 8 Diagram showing how coma is produced, and the lens

shape to reduce it.

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different focal lengths for the different wavelengths present in white

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(b) transverse violet

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Figure 11a The Airy pattern formed by diffraction of a parallel

beam of light falling on a small circular aperture of diameter d

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