Achromatic lens
Lente acromática
- Date
- 1733 (Hall) / 1758 (Dollond) · confidence high
- Place
- Essex / London, England
- Credited to
- Chester Moor Hall (1733); patented by John Dollond (1758); theory by Euler and Klingenstierna
- People
- 👤 Chester Moore Hall1703–1771
- Field
- Communication
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A doublet of crown and flint glass that cancels out chromatic dispersion, disproving Newton's belief that it was incorrigible. It made possible sharp refracting telescopes and microscopes.
Hall commissioned it in secret from London opticians in 1733; Dollond patented it in 1758, and the courts recognised Hall's priority but upheld Dollond's patent for having exploited it commercially.
What it led to
- Compact refractors for astronomy and navigation
- The achromatic microscope (Amici, Lister, 19th century)
- The precision optics industry (Dollond, Fraunhofer)
- Patent litigation as a conflict between inventor and marketer
Built on
- Refracting telescope1608
- Keplerian telescope with two convex lenses1611
- Lead crystal glass1674-1676
- Lead glass (flint)
- Newton's theory of colours
Made possible
- Lister's achromatic microscope objective1830
- Petzval portrait lens1840
- Discovery of Phobos1877
- Apochromat1886
- Zoom lens1946-1959
- Achromatic microscope
- Fraunhofer refractor
- Photographic lens