George Bass (optician)
Encyclopedia
George Bass was an optician known to have made an achromatic
doublet
around 1733.
The instructions for the constructions were given by Chester Moore Hall
. According to Hoyle
, Hall wished to keep his work on the achromatic lenses a secret and contracted the manufacture of the crown
and flint
lenses to two different opticians, Edward Scarlett and James Mann. They in turn sub-contracted the work to the same person, George Bass. He realized the two components were for the same client and, after fitting the two parts together, noted the achromatic properties. Not being as reticent as Hall, Bass let others know of the lens's properties and the method of making an achromatic doublet spread.
Achromatic lens
An achromatic lens or achromat is a lens that is designed to limit the effects of chromatic and spherical aberration. Achromatic lenses are corrected to bring two wavelengths into focus in the same plane....
doublet
Doublet (lens)
In optics, a doublet is a type of lens made up of two simple lenses paired together. Such an arrangement allows more optical surfaces, thicknesses, and formulations, especially as the space between lenses may be considered an "element." With additional degrees of freedom, optical designers have...
around 1733.
The instructions for the constructions were given by Chester Moore Hall
Chester Moore Hall
Chester Moore Hall was a British lawyer and inventor who produced the first achromatic lenses in 1729 or 1733 ....
. According to Hoyle
Fred Hoyle
Sir Fred Hoyle FRS was an English astronomer and mathematician noted primarily for his contribution to the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis and his often controversial stance on other cosmological and scientific matters—in particular his rejection of the "Big Bang" theory, a term originally...
, Hall wished to keep his work on the achromatic lenses a secret and contracted the manufacture of the crown
Crown glass (optics)
Crown glass is type of optical glass used in lenses and other optical components. It has relatively low refractive index and low dispersion...
and flint
Flint glass
Flint glass is optical glass that has relatively high refractive index and low Abbe number. Flint glasses are arbitrarily defined as having an Abbe number of 50 to 55 or less. The currently known flint glasses have refractive indices ranging between 1.45 and 2.00...
lenses to two different opticians, Edward Scarlett and James Mann. They in turn sub-contracted the work to the same person, George Bass. He realized the two components were for the same client and, after fitting the two parts together, noted the achromatic properties. Not being as reticent as Hall, Bass let others know of the lens's properties and the method of making an achromatic doublet spread.