Spectroscopy from the Point of View of the Communication Theory Part I Resolution*

Abstract

The following factors which affect resolution, the numerical aperture of the instrument D/f, finite entrance and exit slits (2d), absorption of the prism B, and the finite width of the absorption line 2δ, have been treated simultaneously to get the exact relationship between the resolving power 2a and slit width. The results are presented graphically for various values of natural line width and the prism absorption. For B, δ and d/δ large, the relationship can be approximated by a law of quadrature