Abbe Number

The Abbe number is a measure of how much a lens material disperses different colors of light. It indicates how much the colors spread out or "chromatically" distort when passing through the lens. A higher Abbe number means less dispersion, resulting in clearer and sharper images with fewer color fringes, which is important in optical devices like cameras and microscopes. Conversely, a lower Abbe number indicates greater dispersion and more potential for color distortion. Essentially, it helps professionals select materials that produce the best image quality by balancing clarity and color fidelity.