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Nikon Instruments | Nikon Global | Nikon Small World

  • Glossary
  • “Airy disk”

Airy disk

The circular intensity maximum at the center of an Airy pattern, which is the diffraction pattern formed when imaging a point source.

Synonyms: Airy disc

See also: Airy pattern , perfect lens , diffraction , interference , superposition principle , point-spread function , diffraction pattern , resolution

Learn more:

  • Tutorials

Numerical Aperture and Image Resolution

Explore how objective numerical aperture size influences Airy disk properties.

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    • Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH)
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