Photonics Dictionary: C

The three lines in the spectrum of cadmium that have the purest radiations and that were first used by Michelson to calculate the standard meter.

The production of visible light by infrared radiation whereby the light is produced by heat and not by any direct change in wavelength; the transformation is indirect.

Name originally given to the sun's infrared radiation by Sir William Herschel in his Philosophical Transactions of 1800.

Scanning characterized by the generation of a plane or right circular cone with a vertex angle of about 180° by the direction of maximum radiation.

The desensitization of the first photographic exposure after it has been subjected to high-intensity radiation.

A reticle carrying patterns of various forms that can be rotated in an optical beam to cause variations in the intensity of the beam. It also is used in infrared detectors to scan the object field...

A mirror whose coating serves to reflect visible radiation while transmitting the infrared.

A filter that serves to alter the color temperature and the mired value of the radiation emitted by a source.

Plastic in which the polymer chains become irreversibly joined during molding. The cross-linking can be achieved by heating, chemical agents or irradiation.

The use of chemicals or radiation to induce a desired change in a substance; e.g., some optical adhesives are set by exposure to ultraviolet light and are said to be UV-curing.