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Concept

diffraction limit

A circular object emits a bright, concentric ring of light against a dark background, symbolizing the concept of the diffraction limit in microscopy.

Lower bound on the resolution of a conventional optical microscope, derived by Abbe in 1873 as approximately half the wavelength of the illuminating light divided by the numerical aperture of the objective. For visible light that comes out near 200 nanometres. The limit is a consequence of the wave nature of light itself and is independent of how well the lenses are polished.

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