Ernst Abbe (1840–1905) was a German physicist and industrialist who was a leader in the field of optics. Born in Eisenach in the grand duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (later, part of Germany), on Jan. 23, 1840, Abbe studied physics at the universities of Göttingen and Jena, receiving his doctorate from the latter in 1861. He became a lecturer at Jena in 1863 and was appointed a professor of physics and mathematics there in 1870.
Abbe began working for the Carl Zeiss optical firm in 1866 and became wealthy after accepting a partnership in the company in 1876. He became the sole owner of the firm after Zeiss died in 1888 and reorganized it as a business cooperative in 1896. In 1891 he established the Carl Zeiss Foundation to promote the causes of scientific research and social betterment. Abbe died in Jena on Jan. 14, 1905.
Abbe in 1868 invented an apochromatic lens system that eliminated both the primary and secondary color distortion of microscopes and in 1870 used a condenser to give a high-powered even illumination in the field of view of microscopes. In 1874 he invented what became known as the Abbe refractometer, which measures the refractive index of substances.
Abbe developed a clearer theoretical understanding of the limits to optical magnification and discovered what was later named the Abbe sine condition, which defines how a lens can form a sharp image without the defects of coma and spherical aberration.
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