Microscopes are an amazing discovery of science. This special instrument allows you to see objects that are invisible to the naked eye. Any lab or lab work is incomplete without the use of microscopes. It allows you to examine and observe all the details about cells and organisms. There are different types of microscopes with different specifications. The most common microscopes are light microscopes, compound microscopes, and electron microscopes.
A microscope consists of several different components, such as the lens, eyepiece, condenser, stage, and iris diaphragm. Each of these components has its separate roles and functions in producing the magnified image. Here, we will be talking about the iris diaphragm, what it is, what it does, its types, and the advantages and disadvantages of its different types.
Table of Contents
What is an Iris Diaphragm?
An iris diaphragm is an important component of a microscope. It is responsible for controlling the light passing through the condenser and helps in illuminating the object under observation. It regulates the degree of contrast between the object and the background. It is located between the microscopic lenses and the light source. The aperture found on the iris diaphragm controls the amount of light passing through it.
What Does the Iris Diaphragm Do on a Microscope?
The Iris diaphragm is one of the most important parts of a microscope. It regulates the illumination, contrast, and focus of the image formed. It is responsible for changing the angular aperture of the light cone as the light passes through the condenser. To have a clear image, the optical numerical aperture, and the light cone must be of the same size. If both of these are not the same then the image quality will be affected. The Iris diaphragm makes sure how much light reaches the object to be examined.
How Does an Iris Diaphragm Works?
The working of an iris diaphragm is simple. It is a metal or plastic strip with a hole inside. This hole allows the light to pass. The size of this hole can be adjusted to allow different amounts of light to pass through it. A larger aperture allows more light to pass causing increased illumination whereas a smaller aperture produces an image with lesser illumination. The size of the aperture is inversely proportional to the degree of contrast. A large aperture will offer high illumination and low contrast image, and vice versa.
Types of Diaphragms
There are three types of diaphragms found in different microscopes. Each of these is mentioned below in detail.
Disc Diaphragm
A disc diaphragm consists of a circular metal or plastic piece having multiple holes of different sizes. Different diameters of the hole allow different amounts of light to be passed from it. You can choose the diameter of the hole according to the amount of light you require. A hole with a larger size will allow more light to be passed as compared to a hole with a smaller size.
Aperture Iris Diaphragm
This type of diaphragm works the same as the iris of the human eye. Just like your iris controls the amount of light entering your rods and cones, similarly, the aperture iris diaphragm controls the shape and size of the hole you need automatically. It expands or constricts the size of the hole according to the required size. This type of diaphragm is found in more advanced microscopes.
Field Diaphragm
This type of diaphragm works as the iris diaphragm. It consists of a single hole and is located close to the light source. The one thing unique about this diaphragm is that you don’t have complete control over managing the size of the diameter, it has already set settings and adjusts the size according to those settings.
Advantages of Different Types of Diaphragms
Diaphragms are an essential component of a microscope. In other words, microscopes are useless without a diaphragm. It allows you to control the light falling on the object to be observed and controls the image quality. Without diaphragms, the image quality will be poor.
Different types of diaphragms have several advantages. For example, disc diaphragms are easier to use and are affordable. The aperture iris diaphragm gives you full control over image quality and thus you can produce optimal-quality images with it. The field diaphragm is convenient to use and is also affordable.
Disadvantages of Different Types of Diaphragms
Overall, a diaphragm does not have any major disadvantages as they are an essential component of a microscope. Images are formed as a result of this component. However, some types of diaphragms have disadvantages that make their use limited. For example, disc and field diaphragm does not allow you to fully control the size of the aperture so you might not get the image quality that you desire. Whereas the aperture iris diaphragm does not have any issue with its functionality however it is extremely expensive. Many people cannot afford to use an aperture iris diaphragm thus affordability becomes a disadvantage of this type of diaphragm.
Conclusion
Microscopes are important instruments in the laboratory. They allow the observer to see objects that are invisible to the naked eye. Scientists have made several discoveries using this amazing lab equipment. All microscopes have more or less the same components. The Iris diaphragm is an essential part of a microscope, responsible for controlling the illumination and contrast of the image produced by the object. It regulates the amount of light passing from the condenser and falling on the object. The larger the size of the aperture, the more the light passes, and a more illuminated image is formed. There are different types of iris diaphragms found in different microscopes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions with answers about the iris diaphragm:
What happens when the iris diaphragm of the microscope is adjusted?
When you adjust the iris diaphragm of a microscope, the object under observation will be more illuminated, and the magnification and resolution will also increase.
How is the image affected when the iris diaphragm is closed?
When the iris diaphragm is closed, the intensity of light decreases, the depth of field and depth of focus increases, and the image formed will have a high contrast and low resolution.
What controls the opening and closing of the iris diaphragm?
The opening and closing of the iris diaphragm is controlled by a lever. It regulates the amount of light passing through the condenser.
What is the difference between the iris diaphragm and the field diaphragm?
The Iris diaphragm controls the angular aperture of the cone of light coming from the condenser. On the other hand, the field diaphragm controls the size of the circle of light illuminating the object under observation.
What is the opening formed by an iris diaphragm called?
The opening formed by an iris diaphragm is called an aperture. Most lenses have variable apertures and allow you to control the light entering the lens. However, some lenses have fixed apertures.
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