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Photonics Dictionary: A
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ADSL
asymmetric digital subscriber line
aeolight
A glow discharge lamp consisting of a cold cathode and a mixture of inert gases. The intensity of illumination varies with the applied signal voltage. This lamp was commonly used as a source of...
aerial photography
Photographing of terrain on the ground and objects in the air by cameras mounted in aircraft; utilized in satellites, multispectral scanning and intricate data handling systems.
AES
Auger electron spectroscopy; atomic emission spectrometry
affine transformation
Transformation of an image, such as a change in position or scale, that does not alter the linearity of the original image.
AFM
atomic force microscope
AFOSR
Air Force Office of Scientific Research
AFS
atomic fluorescence spectroscopy
afterglow
The luminosity that remains in a rarefied gas after an electrodeless discharge has traversed the gas.
air-to-ground phototransmission system
A category of systems designed to communicate a photo taken from the air (e.g., aircraft, balloon, satellite) to a ground station. It can be done by direct television transmission of the photo, or by...
airglow
Diffuse light emitted by the atmosphere due to the excitation of particles of atmospheric gas. These excited particles release light that is visible from Earth as a faint luminescence in the night...
alexandrite lasers
An alexandrite laser is a solid-state laser that utilizes a synthetic crystal made from the rare earth element alexandrite (BeAl2O4:Cr3+). This crystal is capable of emitting laser light in the...
algorithm
A precisely defined series of steps that describes how a computer performs a task.
allochromy
Any fluorescence in which the wavelength of the emitted light differs from that of the absorbed light.
alloy-junction photocell
A photocell having an alloy junction formed by combining an indium disc with a thin wafer of N-type germanium.
altazimuth
A type of telescope mount that permits direct azimuth and elevation adjustments.
aluminized cathode-ray tube
A cathode-ray tube having a screen that is coated on the back with a thin film of aluminum, which serves to intensify the propagation of light.
Amici prism
Also known as roof prism. A type of prism designed by G.B. Amici. It consists of a roof edge produced upon the long reflecting face of a right-angle prism. Used as an erecting system in elbow and...
ammonia pellets
Charged frozen pellets that are rapidly bombarded with a focused high-power laser to form a dense plasma that can be heated and sustained with neutral beams.
amplification
->
gain
Also known as amplification. 1. The increase in a signal that is transmitted from one point to another through an amplifier. A material that exhibits gain rather than absorption, at certain...
analog stroke
An analog method of moving a cathode-ray tube beam across a display screen face, commonly used in high-performance vector and character generators.
analog thermogram
->
thermogram
Also known as analog thermogram. The resultant photograph, illustrating, in tones ranging from black to white, the spatial relationship of the infrared radiation temperatures of the different details...
analytical photogrammetry
The use of mathematical analysis to derive solutions in the science of photogrammetry.
anamorphic
A term used to denote a difference in magnification along mutually perpendicular meridians. Anamorphic systems are basically image-distorting systems, such as those used in motion pictures, that...
angstrom
An angstrom, symbolized by the Ångström or Å, is a unit of length used to express atomic and molecular dimensions. It is equal to 0.1 nanometers or 1 × 10-10 meters. The...
angular spectrum approach
The angular spectrum approach is a mathematical and computational technique used in the field of optics to analyze and simulate the propagation of optical waves, particularly in the context of wave...
anisotropic
Anisotropic is a term used to describe a material or substance that exhibits different properties or behaviors in different directions. In other words, the physical or mechanical characteristics of...
anisotropy
Anisotropy refers to the property of exhibiting different values or characteristics when measured in different directions. In various fields, including physics, materials science, and geology,...
annular eclipse
A type of solar eclipse that occurs when the sun is at perihelion and the moon is at apogee. Because the apparent size of the moon is insufficient to cover the sun, the outer edge of the solar disc...
antiferromagnetism
The elimination of magnetic moments and decrease in magnetic susceptibility with a decrease in temperature due to the equal power of atomic magnets.
antiguide
A waveguide that has a core with a lower refractive index than the refractive index of the cladding. This structure can limit the power of the transmitted beam by removing unwanted radiation, for...
antireflection coating
An antireflection coating (AR coating) is a thin film or coating applied to optical surfaces, such as lenses or windows, to minimize unwanted reflections and increase the transmission of light...
APD detector
An APD detector, or avalanche photodiode detector, is a type of photodetector used to detect light or optical signals by converting incoming photons into electrical current. It operates based on the...
aperture diaphragm
The second adjustable iris diaphragm in an optical system. In the common microscope condenser system, it usually is located beneath the substage condenser on a transmitted light microscope. When the...
aperture distortion
A loss of resolution or detail in a television signal caused by the size of the electron scanning beam.
aperture mask
Also known as a shadow mask, a perforated plate placed between the focusing and accelerating electrodes, and the tricolor phosphor screen in a color-television tube.
aplanatic points
Aplanatic points refer to specific points in an optical system where certain aberrations, such as spherical aberration or coma, are minimized or eliminated. In an optical system, aberrations are...
aplanatic surface
An aplanatic surface is an optical surface that is specifically designed or shaped to minimize spherical aberration and coma. Spherical aberration is an optical aberration that occurs when light rays...
apochromat
An apochromat, often referred to as an apochromatic lens or apochromatic objective, is a type of optical system designed to minimize chromatic aberration. Chromatic aberration occurs when different...
apparent field
The angular subtense of the field of view in the image space of a telescope, as differentiated from that in the object space (the true field).
APS
active pixel sensor; active pixel system; Advanced Photon Source; American Physical Society; atom probe spectroscopy; autocorrelated photon spectroscopy
arc flash
An arc flash is a sudden release of electrical energy due to an electric arc — a continuous, high-current discharge of electricity between conductors or from a conductor to ground. Arc flashes...
arc light source
In present usage, especially for spectroscopic identification, an arc between electrodes that serves as a radiation source. Gas tubes that contain mercury vapor and mixtures of helium, neon and argon...
area image sensor
->
mosaic detector array
A group of photosensors arranged in a grid-like pattern covering the entire field of view, enabling them to record it all at once (as a camera records an image on film) rather than by scanning parts...
Arrhenius plot
The plot that expresses a reaction rate vs. the reciprocal of absolute temperature. Often used to describe the thermal characteristics of laser applications such as ablation or annealing.
ASII
American Science Information Institute
ASIS
American Society for Information Science
aspect ratio
With respect to pictorial displays, the ratio of the width to the height. The television standard in the US is 4:3. High-definition or wide-screen television will have a ratio of 16:9.
aspheric lens
An aspheric lens is a type of lens whose surface profiles deviate from the traditional spherical shape. Unlike spherical lenses, which have a constant curvature across their surfaces, aspheric lenses...
aspheric mirror
An aspheric mirror is an optical mirror surface that deviates from the shape of a perfect sphere, having a non-spherical surface profile. Unlike traditional spherical mirrors, which have a curved...
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Photonics Dictionary
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