Abbe, Ernst (1840-1905), was a German physicist and lens maker. He pioneered modern developments in microscope lens design that led to the elimination or reduction of image distortion. For nearly 40 years, he was associated with the Carl Zeiss optical works in Jena, Germany.
Among Abbe’s most important innovations in microscope design was the use of a condenser in the lamp that lit a specimen. This improvement, introduced in 1870, gave the microscope user a strong, even illumination when viewing slides. Abbe also studied the factors limiting the microscope’s power to produce sharp images at high magnification. He discovered a mathematical formula in optics now known as the Abbe sine condition, a requirement any lens must satisfy if it is to form sharp images free of blurring or distortion caused by various forms of aberration (see Aberration ). Abbe’s diffraction theory of optical imaging laid the foundations of modern image processing and enhancement techniques.
In 1863, Abbe joined the staff of the University of Jena, becoming professor of physics and mathematics in 1870 and director of the astronomical and meteorological observatories in 1878. In 1866, he met optical lensmaker Carl Zeiss and became research director of the Zeiss factory. Abbe designed several machines to measure, monitor, and control lens-making processes. He eventually went into partnership with Zeiss and, following Zeiss’s death in 1888, he took over ownership of the company. In 1891, Abbe, a progressive liberal, established the Carl Zeiss Foundation to support scientific research and social improvement.
Abbe was born on Jan. 23, 1840, in Eisenach, in what is now the German state of Saxony. He died in Jena on Jan. 14, 1905.
See also Zeiss, Carl .
