Skip to content
Question 76 of 96

Q.Why electron is preferred over X-ray in microscope ?

Tamil Nadu DgeTamil Nadu HSC (DGE) Board 2020Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
79% · 76/96 Questions
🔒 Locked · start free trial →

You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.

Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →

Electrons are preferred because their de Broglie wavelength (and hence resolving power) is much better than that of X-rays of comparable energy, and because electron beams — unlike X-rays — can be easily focused using electric/magnetic lenses.

  1. Resolving power / wavelength: the resolving power of a microscope improves as the wavelength used decreases. Electrons accelerated through even a modest potential (tens of kV) acquire a de Broglie wavelength (λ=h/2meV\lambda=h/\sqrt{2meV}) far smaller than the wavelength of X-rays of comparable energy, so an electron microscope can resolve much finer detail than an X-ray-based instrument.
  2. Focusing: a beam of electrons, being charged particles, can be easily converged/focused using suitably shaped electric or magnetic fields (electromagnetic 'lenses'), exactly as an optical lens focuses light. X-rays, being uncharged electromagnetic radiation of very short wavelength, are extremely difficult to focus with simple lenses (they barely refract), so forming a magnified image with X-rays is impractical. …

Unlock everything free for 14 days

  • Full step-by-step solutions
  • Concept-first explanations
  • Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
  • PYQ mapping + timed mock tests

Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.