An optical instrument either processes light waves to enhance an image for viewing, or analyzes light waves (or photons) to determine one of a number of characteristic properties. Prism splitting light Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye, or in a more general sense, any electromagnetic radiation in the range from infrared to ultraviolet. ... In physics, the photon (from Greek φως phos, meaning light) is the quantum of the electromagnetic field, for instance light. ...

Image enhancement

The first optical instruments were telescopes used for magnification of distant images, and microscopes used for magnifying very tiny images. Since the days of Galileo and Van Leeuwenhoek, these instruments have been greatly improved and extended into other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The binocular device is a generally compact instrument for both eyes designed for mobile use. A camera could be considered a type of optical instrument for storing an image. 50 cm refracting telescope at Nice Observatory. ... 1852 microscope Compound microscope made by John Cuff in 1750 A microscope (Greek: micron = small and scopos = aim) is an instrument for viewing objects that are too small to be seen by the naked or unaided eye. ... Galileo can refer to: Galileo Galilei, astronomer, philosopher, and physicist (1564 - 1642) the Galileo spacecraft, a NASA space probe that visited Jupiter and its moons the Galileo positioning system Life of Galileo, a play by Bertolt Brecht Galileo (1975) - screen adaptation of the play Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht... Anton von Leeuwenhoek Anton van Leeuwenhoek (October 24, 1632 - August 26, 1723) was a tradesman and scientist from Delft, in the Netherlands. ... Legend: γ = Gamma rays HX = Hard X-rays SX = Soft X-Rays EUV = Extreme ultraviolet NUV = Near ultraviolet Visible light NIR = Near infrared MIR = Moderate infrared FIR = Far infrared Radio waves: EHF = Extremely high frequency (Microwaves) SHF = Super high frequency (Microwaves) UHF = Ultrahigh frequency VHF = Very high frequency HF = High frequency... Binoculars A set of binoculars (from Latin, bi-, two-, and oculus, eye) is a hand-held tool used to magnify distant objects by passing the image through two adjacent series of lenses, and erecting prisms. ... A camera is a device used to take pictures (usually photographs), either singly or in sequence, with or without sound recording, such as with video cameras. ...

Analysis

Another class of optical instrument is used to analyze the properties of light or optical materials. They include: Prism splitting light Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye (visible light) or, in a technical or scientific context, electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength. ...

• Interferometer for measuring the interference properies of light waves
• Photometer for measuring light intensity
• Polarimeter for measuring dispersion or rotation of polarized light
• Reflectometer for measuring the reflectivity of a surface or object
• Refractometer for measuring refractive index of various materials, invented by Ernst Abbe
• Spectrometer or monochromator for generating or measuring a portion of the optical spectrum, for the purpose of chemical or material analysis.

Interferometry is the applied science of combining two or more input points of a particular data type, such as optical measurements, to form a greater picture based on the combination of the two sources. ... Interference of two circular waves - Wavelength (decreasing bottom to top) and Wave centers distance (increasing to the right). ... In the broadest sense, a photometer is any instrument used to measure light intensity. ... A polarimeter is a scientific instrument for measuring the rotation of the plane of polarized light as it passes through a sample of a compound which exhibits optical activity. ... Two scientific instruments commonly designated Reflectometer are: Reflectometer (optics): In optics, an instrument for measuring the reflectance of reflecting surfaces. ... In optics, reflectivity is the reflectance (the ratio of reflected power to incident power, generally expressed in decibels or percentage) at the surface of a material so thick that the reflectance does not change with increasing thickness; , the intrinsic reflectance of the surface, irrespective of other parameters such as the... The refractive index of a material is the factor by which the phase velocity of electromagnetic radiation is slowed relative to vacuum. ... Ernst Karl Abbe Ernst Karl Abbe (January 23, 1840 in Eisenach – January 14, 1905 in Jena), was a German physicist. ... A spectrometer is an optical instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. ... A monochromator is an optical device that transmits a mechanically selectable narrow band of wavelengths of light chosen from a wider range of wavelengths available at the input. ...

See also

Category:Optical devices