1. NA determines resolution.
NA determines resolution. Differential interference contrast (DIC) images of two different diatoms (A/B and C/D), captured using a microscope (IX-70; Olympus) fitted with a U Plan-Apo 100× objective lens with an adjustable NA (0.5–1.35). For A and C the NA was set to 1.35, whereas for B and D it was set to 0.5. In all cases the focus was adjusted to give the best possible image. The rows of separately resolved “spots” in A appear as blurred lines in B, and the fine details in the second diatom (C) cannot even be seen using the lower NA setting (D). Thus it is NA, not magnification, that determines the resolving power of the objective lens.
Alison J. North J Cell Biol 2006;172:9-18
© 2006 Rockefeller University Press