THE PRACTICE STUDIO
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PRACTICE / Optical resolution
Compare wavelength and aperture together
Instrument A uses a clear 8.0 cm circular aperture at 640 nm. Instrument B uses a clear 10.0 cm circular aperture at 400 nm. Both are diffraction-limited under the same point-source criterion.
What is the ratio of B’s Rayleigh angular separation to A’s?
Organize the givens & assumptions
- DA = 8.0 cm, λA = 640 nm
- DB = 10.0 cm, λB = 400 nm
Comparable mutually incoherent point sources; monochromatic diffraction-limited imaging through clear circular apertures, adequate sampling, no atmospheric or aberration limitation.
- A
- B
- C
- D
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