Mikroskoobid

Mikroskoobid are instruments that produce magnified images of small objects by using lenses and illumination. By gathering light or particles and focusing them, they reveal details invisible to the unaided eye, making them essential in biology, medicine, materials science, and industry.

The most common type is the optical light microscope, which uses visible light and glass lenses to form an enlarged image. Typical practical magnification ranges from about 40x to 1000x or more, while the resolving power is limited by diffraction to roughly 200 nanometers in air. Variants such as phase-contrast, differential interference contrast, and fluorescence microscopes improve contrast and enable imaging of unstained or labeled specimens. Electron microscopes, using beams of electrons instead of light, achieve far higher resolution and are divided into transmission (TEM) and scanning (SEM) types; they require vacuum and special preparation.

Scanning probe microscopes, including atomic force microscopes (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopes (STM), image surfaces at near-atomic resolution by measuring tip-sample interactions. Confocal laser scanning microscopes provide optical sectioning for three-dimensional imaging. The design and use of mikroskoobid depend on the sample, desired resolution, and whether noninvasive imaging is required. Common limitations include sample preparation, potential damage (especially in electron or AFM techniques), and the need for controlled environments.