Photonics Dictionary

The standards of MIL-O-13830 set by the US government relative to tolerable surface scratches and other such defects in an optical system. A series of standard glass plates that have been...

A standard for fiber optic telecommunications interfaces, with a 1300-nm data link operating over single-mode fiber at data rates of 52, 155 and 622 Mb/s.

Electromagnetic radiation with frequencies between 300 GHz and 10 THz, and existing between regions of the electromagnetic spectrum that are typically classified as the far-infrared and microwave...

A terahertz spectrometer is a scientific instrument used to measure and analyze the properties of materials in the terahertz frequency range, typically spanning from about 0.1 to 10 terahertz (THz),...

Terahertz (THz) refers to a unit of frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum, denoting waves with frequencies between 0.1 and 10 terahertz. One terahertz is equivalent to one trillion hertz, or...

Refers to a notation system using a base of 3 and the numerical characters 0, 1 and 2.

Thermography is a technique that involves the use of an infrared imaging device, called a thermal camera or infrared camera, to detect and visualize the infrared radiation emitted by objects. This...

Calculations of lens aberrations whereby the first two terms of the series expansion are the only ones employed. This theory provides the six aberrations of Seidel.

Two 30° prisms that are used to produce constant deviation when rotated by equal and opposite angles.

Integral densities that are measured relative to arbitrarily selected red, green and blue filters.

Referring to compound semiconductor materials combining one element that has three valence electrons with one or more that have five. Examples include gallium arsenide and indium antimonide. (III-V).

A laser having a material, such as ruby, that has an energy state structure of three levels: the ground state (1) wherein excitation applied to the material raises ions in the material into the...

Three-photon microscopy is an advanced imaging technique that belongs to the family of multi-photon microscopy methods. It is used in biological and medical research to capture high-resolution images...

The amount of time needed for a detector signal or electronic circuit to reach 63 percent of its final value after a fixed incident power is first applied.

A Ti:sapphire laser is a type of solid-state laser that utilizes a titanium-doped sapphire crystal as the gain medium. The name Ti:sapphire comes from the combination of titanium (Ti) as the dopant...

A symmetrical, very wide-angle lens. Well-corrected for spherical aberration and color, the Topogon can cover fields up to 90° at speeds from f/11 to f/6.3.

Transition metals are elements found in the d-block of the periodic table, which includes groups 3 to 12. They are characterized by their partially filled d orbitals in the electron configuration....

A transmission electron microscope (TEM) is a powerful microscopy technique that uses a beam of electrons to create high-resolution images of extremely thin samples. In a TEM, electrons are...

Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is a technique used in additive manufacturing, specifically in the field of 3D printing. It involves using a focused laser to polymerize a photosensitive material in a...

An ultrafast pulsed laser is a type of laser that emits extremely short pulses of light with durations typically on the order of femtoseconds (10-15 seconds) or picoseconds (10-12 seconds). These...

The frequency band from 300 to 3000 MHz. The corresponding wavelengths are from 10 to 100 cm.

Ultraviolet (UV) fiber optics refers to optical fibers that are designed and optimized for the transmission of ultraviolet light, which is electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than...

A lens intended for use with wavelengths shorter than about 380 nm. It must be made of quartz, calcium fluoride, lithium fluoride or some other material transparent to ultraviolet radiation, as glass...

A pulsed laser having molecular nitrogen as laser material and a wavelength output of 337 nm in the ultraviolet region. It is essentially a channel flashtube in which a pulse is applied to the...

A spectrophotometer designed for use in the 200- to 380-nm range of the electromagnetic spectrum and equipped with a calibrated scale to determine wavelength.

Radiation whose spectrum runs between 100 and 300 nm. Any work with these wavelengths requires evacuated equipment.

Any source that emits radiation of wavelengths between 100 and 300 nm. Instruments used to study these sources must be evacuated, as vacuum ultraviolet does not travel freely in air.

A method of spectral analysis using wavelengths between 100 and 300 nm that utilizes both emission and absorption techniques.

An Abbe condenser in which the upper lens element is fixed. The lower lens may focus the illumination between the elements so that it emerges from the fixed lens as a large-diameter parallel bundle....

The frequency band from 30 to 300 MHz. The corresponding wavelengths are from 1 to 10 m. (VHF).

The frequency band from 3 to 30 kHz. The corresponding wavelengths are from 10 to 100 km. (VLF).

A display standard no longer in use and originally defined for IBM PCs, with 640 3 480 pixels in 16 colors and a 4:3 aspect ratio. There is also a text mode with 720 3 400 pixels. The standard has...

Virtual histology refers to the use of digital technology and computational methods to simulate or recreate histological images and structures without the need for traditional physical slides and...

The angular field of view that is seen by the eyes when fixed on a point straight ahead. The normal binocular visual field is approximately 130° in diameter.

Volume Bragg gratings (VBGs) are specialized optical elements that consist of periodic variations in refractive index throughout the volume of a transparent material, typically a photosensitive glass...

Volumetric imaging refers to the capture, visualization, and analysis of three-dimensional (3D) information from a volume of space. Unlike traditional two-dimensional (2D) imaging, which provides...

A diffraction pattern sampling unit composed of a 32-element monolithic silicon photodiode array and a readout unit. The intensity on each detector element can be separately read out by means of a...

A well plate, also known as a microplate or microtiter plate, is a flat plate with multiple small wells or depressions arranged in a grid pattern. Each well serves as a separate container for holding...

A wide-angle lens is a type of camera lens that has a shorter focal length than a standard or normal lens, allowing it to capture a broader field of view. Wide-angle lenses are characterized by their...

The sunlight that extends to the earth after scattering from other solar bodies, mostly from meteorite dust of radii equaling 10-3 cm.

A plate of glass, usually a photograph, on which there is a central spot surrounded by concentric annular zones, alternately opaque and transparent, the radii of the boundaries between the zones...