Photonics Dictionary: P

In imaging, the processing of pixel data in such a way that a group of pixels is analyzed at one time rather than one pixel at a time.

A microscope equipped with a polarizer, an analyzer and a Bertrand lens to focus on the upper focal plane of the objective. It is used chiefly by mineralogists and crystallographers for...

In optics and photonics, "phase" refers to a property of electromagnetic waves, such as light, that describes the position of a wave at a given point in time within its oscillation cycle. More...

In biology, particularly genetics and evolutionary biology, the phenotype refers to the observable characteristics or traits of an organism, resulting from the interaction of its genetic makeup...

A method for obtaining the optical absorption spectra of solids, semisolids, liquids and gases. PAS is inherently insensitive to reflection or scattering from the sample, analyzes opaque samples and...

A spectroscopic process that detects and analyzes the discharge from an extrinsic surface with less than bandgap light. This method may determine the extrinsic surface-state energy levels of a...

Photoelastic equipment and supplies refer to instruments and materials used in photoelasticity, a technique used to analyze stress distribution and behavior in materials. photoelastic equipment...

The use of photographic emulsions to detect and determine the amounts of ionizing radiation, such as x-rays and gamma rays, in an area. This is accomplished by exposing the emulsion to the radiation...

A technique used for noncontact inspection of semiconductor wafers. The material is illuminated by an excitation source that stimulates photoluminescence; the resulting spectrum is analyzed, yielding...

Photoluminescence is a phenomenon in which a material absorbs photons (light) at one wavelength and then re-emits photons at a longer wavelength. This process occurs when electrons in the material...

A pixel, short for "picture element," is the smallest controllable element of a digital image or display. It is a fundamental unit that represents a single point in a raster image, which is a grid of...

A point cloud is a set of data points in a three-dimensional coordinate system, where each point represents a specific location in space. These points are typically obtained through various sensing...

A polariscope with a half-shade device and an angular scale generally attached to the analyzer. It is used to measure the rotation of the plane of polarization by materials placed within it. A...

A combination of a polarizer and an analyzer that is used to detect birefringence or rotation of the plane of polarization of materials placed between them. Useful for the determination of stress...

A device that is used to produce or analyze plane-polarized light. It may be a Nicol prism or some other form of calcite prism or a polarizing filter.

The instrument used to analyze a pulsed electromagnetic wave to determine its time, amplitude, duration and shape, and to display this information in some appropriate form, either visually or...