Resolving power

• The capacity of an optical instrument to

show two close objects separately is called
Resolution and the ability of an optical
instrument to just resolve the images of two
close point objects is called its Resolving
power.
• Resolving power is defined as the inverse of
the distance or angular separation between
two objects which can be just resolved when
viewed through the optical instrument.
• According to Rayleigh Criterion of resolution,
two equally intense spectral lines are just
resolved by an optical instrument when
principal maxima of the diffraction pattern
due to one source (λ1) falls exactly on the first
minimum of the diffraction pattern of the
other source (λ2) .
 Resolving power of Microscope
The resolving power is the inverse of the distance ‘d’ between two objects that can be just
resolved and given by Ernst Abbe (1873) as:
RM = 1/d = 2 µ sin θ/1.22 λ= NA/0.61 λ

Where ‘µ’ is the refractive index of the medium separating object and aperture. Note that
to achieve high-resolution ‘µ sinθ’ must be large which is also known as the
Numerical aperture of Microscope.

Thus, for better resolution:

• Sinθ must be large: To achieve this, the objective lens should be kept as close as
possible to the specimen so that sinθ 0 and sinθ 1
• µ must be large: Oil immersion microscopes use oil to increase the refractive index.
Typically, for use in biology studies, µ is approximately 1.6 to match the refractive index
of glass for minimum reflection from slides.
• The numerical aperture (NA = µ sinθ) is limited to just 1.4-1.6. Thus, optical microscopes can
only image to about 0.1 microns. How?
(RM)max= 1/d = 2 µ sin θ/1.22λ = NA/0.61λ = 1.6/(0.61x300nm) = 1/114.3 nm = 1/0.1micron
So, d = 0.1 micron as 1 micron = 1000 nm
 This means that usually organisms, viruses and proteins cannot be imaged by optical
microscopes because their sizes are usually smaller than 0.1 micron.

• For same, we need high resolution microscopes by decreasing the wavelength ‘λ’ by using
UV-rays, X-rays and gamma rays. While these techniques are used to study inorganic
crystals, biological samples are usually damaged by x-rays and hence, are not suitable.

• The greatest resolving power in optical microscopy requires near-ultraviolet light, the
shortest effective imaging wavelength.
 Summary
• The resolving power of an objective lens is measured by its ability
to differentiate two lines or points in an object. The greater the
resolving power, the smaller the minimum distance between two
lines or points that can still be distinguished.

• In Grating the resolving power is defined as: R 

• Resolving power of Telescope will be: RT = 1/△ = a/1.22

• Resolving power of Microscope: RM = 1/d = 2µ sin θ/1.22 λ