THE PRACTICE STUDIO

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PRACTICE · MEMBERSIntermediate · Single correct

PRACTICE / Optical resolution

Design for an angular separation before choosing magnification

Two comparable mutually incoherent point sources are 6.0 mm apart transverse to the line of sight at a range of 1.0 km. Observation uses 600 nm light and a clear circular aperture.

What minimum aperture diameter meets the ideal Rayleigh criterion?

Organize the givens & assumptions
  • Source separation = 6.0 mm
  • Range = 1.0 km
  • λ = 600 nm

Two comparable mutually incoherent distant point sources; monochromatic light, clear uniformly illuminated circular pupil, diffraction-limited imaging, adequate sampling, and the conventional Rayleigh criterion.

  1. A0.122 m0.122\ \mathrm m
  2. B0.061 m0.061\ \mathrm m
  3. C0.244 m0.244\ \mathrm m
  4. D0.100 m0.100\ \mathrm m

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