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Glite Dictionary
electron lens

electron lens

7.4
A device that uses electric or magnetic fields to focus a beam of electrons
  • noun
  • /ɪˈlɛktrɒn lɛnz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lente electrónica
  • The electron lens in the microscope sharply focused the beam of electrons for a clearer image.

Examples

  • The best approach is to correct the aberrations of the electron lenses using electric and magnetic multipole elements.

    Academic text (1997)

  • In particle accelerators, an electron lens directs the flow of electrons with precision.

  • Researchers adjusted the electron lens to improve the resolution of their observations.

Surface Forms

electron lens singular
electron lenses plural

Morphology

electron + lens

The meaning 'a device that focuses electrons' is directly derivable from combining 'electron' (the particle) with 'lens' (a device that focuses or directs), since 'lens' readily extends from focusing light to focusing a beam of particles. Although technical, the noun+noun compositional pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Electron lens: The name electron lens comes from the idea of a simple lens like in a camera that focuses, but it works on tiny particles called electrons instead of light. That's why it means a device that uses electric or magnetic fields to 'focus' an electron beam in microscopes and particle accelerators.