Mikroskop

A mikroskop (often translated as microscope in English) is an instrument that enlarges small objects beyond the resolution of the naked eye, enabling observation of fine structures. It typically uses one or more lenses or other imaging components to form a magnified image that can be viewed directly or captured digitally. Illumination is commonly used to reveal details in transparent or opaque specimens.

In optical mikroskopes, magnification results from the combination of an objective lens near the specimen and an eyepiece through which the image is viewed. Resolution depends on the numerical aperture of the lenses and the wavelength of light. Light is directed by a condenser to illuminate the specimen; the resulting image may be observed or recorded by a camera.

Major types include optical (light) mikroskopes, such as brightfield, phase-contrast, differential interference contrast, and fluorescence microscopes. Electron mikroskopes replace light with electron beams to achieve much higher resolution, including transmission electron mikroskopes (TEM) and scanning electron mikroskopes (SEM). Scanning probe mikroskopes, such as atomic force mikroskop (AFM) and scanning tunneling mikroskop (STM), probe surfaces at the atomic scale.

The mikroskop has a long history dating to the late 16th century, with instrument makers in the Netherlands and notable contributions by Zacharias Janssen, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, and Robert Hooke. Its development expanded from simple lenses to complex systems enabling greater magnification and contrast. Today mikroskopes are essential in biology, medicine, materials science, and education, with advances in digital imaging, confocal techniques, and super-resolution methods.