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Concept

Abbe sine condition

A circular lens-like object with concentric rings and a central dark area, set against a gradient background, symbolizes the Abbe sine condition concept.

Geometric condition derived by Ernst Abbe in 1873 stating that, for an optical system to produce a sharp image free of coma across a finite field, the sines of the angles a ray makes with the axis must scale by the same factor between object and image space. It converted lens design from craft into a closed mathematical problem and remains the starting point for any modern objective.

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