Dark-field illumination
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Description
A method of illumination for an optical microscope. In dark-field illumination, the central light beam is blocked, allowing light to intersect the specimen at an oblique angle then pass off to the side without reaching the condenser. This produces a bright specimen image with enhanced contrast against a dark background. An appropriate objective and condenser must be used for dark-field illumination.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Dunkelfeldbeleuchtung (Deut.); darkground
Resources and Citations
- Walter C. McCrone, John Gustave Delly, The Particle Atlas, W. McCrone Associates, Chicago, IV, 1972
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998