Abbe, Ernst
(1840–1905) German physicist Abbe, who was born in Eisenach (now in Germany), came from poor parents but managed to become a lecturer at the University of Jena, where in 1886 he collaborated with Carl Zeiss, a supplier of optical instruments to the university, to improve the quality of microscope production. Up till then, this had been an empirical art without rigorous theory to aid design. Abbe's contribution was his knowledge of optical theory. He is known for the
Abbe sine condition
– a necessary condition for ...