light source

A source of light for use in an optical system such as a microscope. Common light sources include light emitting diodes, halogen lamps, lasers, and even the sun. It is the core component of an illuminator. It may also refer to the source in a ray tracing diagram.

Synonyms: source

See also: illuminator, light emitting diode, halogen lamp, laser, mercury arc lamp, metal-halide arc lamp, xenon arc lamp

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The Microscope Optical Train

The optical train consists of an illuminator, condenser, specimen, objective, and detector.