Photonics Dictionary: B

Clear All Filters x MBE x B x
Beer-Lambert law

Combination of Beer's and Lambert's (absorption) laws.

bubble chamber

A large tank filled with liquid hydrogen, with a flat window at one end and complex optical devices for observing and photographing the rows of fine bubbles formed when a high-energy particle...

bubble chamber optics

Specially designed optics for the observation and photographing of hydrogen in a bubble chamber.

bubble chamber photography

The photographic recording of gas bubbles produced when particles traverse liquid hydrogen in a bubble chamber.

Bouguer's law -> Lambert's absorption law

Transmittance of a solution, or internal transmittance of a transparent solid, is an exponential function of the thickness of the layer.

backstreaming

The term used in reference to vacuum systems using oil and diffusion pumps, describes the migration of pump fluids and their decomposition products into the vacuum chamber.

bench -> optical bench

A support for optical parts comprising a solid bed that permits precise longitudinal movement of one component relative to the others, and a number of sliders equipped with holders for lenses, lamps,...

bias buildup

Degradation factor in coherent light systems where the amplitude of the recorded signal is decreased as the number of object points is increased, resulting in poor noise performance.

bistability -> optical bistability

The phenomenon that can render an optical resonator the equivalent of a semiconductor flip-flop. A bistable device will remain stable in two optical states, one of high transmission and another of...

bit error rate

The ratio of the number of bits received incorrectly to the total number of bits transmitted digitally in a system.

block

A supporting member used to hold optical parts during grinding and polishing. It also describes the assemblage of optical parts on the supporting member; e.g., a block of lenses or block of prisms.

blur circle

A blur circle refers to the out-of-focus region in an image captured by an optical system. When an object in a scene is not in perfect focus, its image is spread out into a circular shape on the...

Boltzmann's constant

A constant equal to the universal gas constant divided by the Avogadro number. It is approximately equal to 1.38 x 10-23 J/K and is commonly expressed by the symbol k.

Bose-Einstein condensate

A Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is a state of matter that forms at temperatures close to absolute zero. It is named after Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein, who independently predicted the...

Bragg spectrometer -> ionization spectrometer

Also known as the Bragg spectrometer. A system used for the x-ray analysis of crystal structure. In the instrument, a homogeneous beam of x-rays is directed on the known face of a crystal and the...

Bragg's law

The law expressing the condition under which a crystal will reflect a beam of x-rays with the greatest amount of distinction or resolution and, at the same time, denoting the angle at which the...

brightness resolution

The degree to which a pixel in a digital image represents the analog brightness of the corresponding point in the original image. It is dependent largely on the number of bits devoted to representing...

byte

The number of bits used to represent a character.

Photonics DictionaryB

We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.