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ASI Dictionary Terms

hyperspectral resolution
Hyperspectral resolution refers to the level of detail or granularity in the spectral information captured by a hyperspectral imaging system. In hyperspectral imaging, the electromagnetic spectrum is divided into numerous narrow contiguous bands,...
fusion ignition
Fusion ignition refers to the point in a controlled nuclear fusion reaction where the energy released by the fusion...
coherent fiber bundle
A coherent fiber bundle (CFB), also known as a coherent fiber optic bundle, is an assembly of multiple optical fibers...
metalens
A metalens, short for "metasurface lens," is a type of optical lens that uses nanostructured materials to manipulate light...
Polarization Imaging
A subsurface imaging technique based upon the polarization of light reflected off an object. The polarization of reflected...
scattered seeds
A term used to denote the condition of a few easily visible coarse inclusions within a blank of glass.
straight-path approximation
The determination of axially symmetric and asymmetric refractive-index distributions by use of interferometry carried out on...
glass annealing furnace
A furnace, generally electrically heated, with a control system capable of following a cam by which the temperature can be...
electromagnon
An electromagnon is a quasiparticle excitation that combines aspects of both magnetism and electric polarization in a...
collisional excitation
A method of lasing in which free electrons in a laser-produced plasma collide with neonlike ions to excite electrons to...
excimer laser
An excimer laser is a type of ultraviolet laser that emits short pulses of light in the ultraviolet spectrum. The term...
redshift
The displacement of spectrum lines, as determined by the increasing distance between, and the relative velocity of, the...
optical manufacturing tools and machinery
Optical manufacturing tools and machinery encompass a wide range of equipment, instruments, and systems used in the...
erbium-doped fiber amplifier
An optical fiber that can be used to amplify an optical input. Erbium rare earth ions are added to the fiber core material...
thermistor
A solid-state semiconducting structure (basically one of the bolometers) that changes electrical resistance with...
aptamer
An aptamer is a short, single-stranded DNA or RNA molecule that can bind to a specific target molecule with high affinity...
excitation
1. The process by which an atom acquires energy sufficient to raise it to a quantum state higher than its ground state. 2....
digital image processing
The technique by which an analog image is converted by any of several means into a finite array of points, each represented...
photolithography
Photolithography is a key process in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and...
single-molecule spectroscopy
An advanced technique that allows the detection of one molecule within a crystal or a cell through optical excitation....
asynchronous transfer mode
A method of data multiplexing that can provide large, instantaneous bandwidths for busy traffic while permitting slow...
topology
Topology is a branch of mathematics that focuses on the properties of space that are preserved under continuous...
blue diode laser
A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...
meter
1. The basic unit of length in the metric system, equal to 39.37 in. or 3.28 ft. 2. Any device or instrument used for...
polishing and abrasive material
Any of the numerous powders used for grinding and polishing glass, crystal or metal, the chief material being emery and...
thermography
Thermography is a technique that involves the use of an infrared imaging device, called a thermal camera or infrared camera,...
quasi-optical
Having properties resembling those of light- waves; e.g., the propagation of waves in the television spectrum.
separate absorption and multiplication region avalanche photodiode
An avalanche photodiode in which the light-absorbing area is a low-bandgap material and the PN junction is placed in an area...
spatial filtering
In image processing, the enhancement of an image by increasing or decreasing its spatial frequencies.
design and engineering consulting services
Design and engineering consulting services refer to professional services provided by specialized firms or individuals to...
chirality
Chirality is a property of certain molecules and objects in which they are non-superimposable on their mirror images. In...
null lens
A lens used in the optical testing of an aspheric surface. It converts a spherical wavefront into one that precisely matches...
multispectral photography
The use of narrow bandpass filters and special photographic emulsions to discern features of a surface that would not be...
piezoelectric crystal
A crystal consisting of a substance that has the ability to become electrically polarized and has strong piezoelectric...
quasi-linear theory
The first nonlinear theory in plasma physics that details the time and space evolution of plasma wave instability from a...
conduction band
A partially filled or empty energy band through which electrons can move easily. The material can therefore carry an...
coated optics
Optical elements that have been coated with one or more layers of dielectric, or metallic material. These coatings serve to...
soft radiation
Term applied to radiation composed of particles or photons that will not easily penetrate a material because of their low...
capacitor
A device that accumulates and stores electrical energy to introduce capacitance into a circuit. Basically, it is composed of...
machine vision lighting
Machine vision lighting refers to the use of specific lighting techniques and equipment in the field of machine vision,...
free-abrasive machining
The process whereby a rotating wheel carries grains of an abrasive, suspended in a vehicle, across the surface of the...
crystal
A solid with a structure that exhibits a basically symmetrical and geometrical arrangement. A crystal may already possess...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically...
deep-depletion CCD
A CCD device for sensing longer wavelengths, such as NIR and IR, that has a deeper depletion region than would be necessary...
aliasing
In image processing, the result of a sampling frequency that is too slow to preserve the spatial frequencies of the image....
fluorescence
Fluorescence is a type of luminescence, which is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other...
custom lapping and polishing services
Custom lapping and polishing services involve specialized processes used to improve the surface finish and dimensional...
Collaborative Robot
Collaborative Robot (Cobot): Unlike traditional autonomous robots, which usually work by themselves, a collaborative robot...
additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is a manufacturing process that involves creating three-dimensional...
speckle metrology
Refers to the variety of techniques that use the interference pattern produced by laser light diffusely reflected by an...
extreme ultraviolet
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) refers to a specific range of electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum....
high-pressure cloud chamber
A cloud chamber designed to maintain the gas within it at a high pressure as a means of reducing the range of the...
break current
The point at which decreasing current supplied to a laser results in the extinguishing of the laser discharge.
optical constructor
A system of modular mechanical components for building precision optical systems. The basic equipment includes a variety of...
rolling shutter artifacts
Rolling shutter artifacts are distortions or visual anomalies that can occur in images or videos captured by cameras with...
multiple-beam laser
A laser having a Q-switching method that allows separate parallel volumes of the lasing material to act independently of...
neuromorphic
Neuromorphic refers to the design and development of computing systems or devices that are inspired by the structure and...
phase matching
Phase matching is a crucial concept in the field of optics, particularly in nonlinear optics and the generation of coherent...
disc laser
A laser having a rod that is a stacked array of discs immersed in a transparent flowing coolant fluid. In this way, the...
antigen
An antigen is any substance that is capable of triggering an immune response in an organism. Antigens are typically proteins...
dichroic coating
A dichroic coating, also known as a dichroic filter or dichroic mirror, is an optical coating designed to selectively...
inertial fusion energy
Inertial fusion energy (IFE) refers to a proposed method of generating electricity by harnessing the energy released from...
ultrasonic
Ultrasonic refers to sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing, typically above...
laser surgery
Laser surgery refers to a medical procedure in which a laser, or focused beam of light, is used as a precision tool to cut,...
CCD image sensor
A CCD image sensor, or charge-coupled device image sensor, is a type of electronic device used to convert optical images...
data compression
A method of storing digital data using techniques that consume less memory space than basic methods do. See differential...
sky filter
A filter designed to decrease the luminosity of the sky without decreasing that of the landscape in the foreground. A filter...
electric CO laser
An electrically excited laser having carbon monoxide as the lasing material and in which lasing occurs in a partial...
solid-state laser
A solid-state laser is a type of laser that uses a solid gain medium (as opposed to a liquid or gas) to produce coherent...
driving current
The minimum electrical current input needed to initiate lasing.
mercury arc
An electric arc that is formed in mercury vapor through which an electric current flows. The intensity of the illumination...
optical coherence tomography
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique used in medical and scientific fields to capture...
wide-angle lens
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...
swept source optical coherence tomography
Swept-source optical coherence tomography is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics, particularly in...
hard elastics
High-modulus elastic fibers that exhibit the following differences from conventional elastic fibers: Increasing temperature...
subtractive color process
The basic process of color photography whereby colors are subtracted from white light by means of filters, making all colors...
trichromacy
The basis of color vision in the human eye. Three types of cones have been identified, each having a unique spectral...
abrasion mark
Optical surface damage due to abrasive rubbing. Abrasion damage affects are less than the thickness of the optical coating...
Casimir force
The Casimir force is a quantum phenomenon that results in an attractive force between two closely spaced uncharged...
fiber-coupled LED
A fiber-coupled LED (light-emitting diode) refers to an LED device that is optically coupled to an optical fiber for the...
fluorescent microscope
A type of optical microscope that allows the specimen being viewed to be irradiated by ultraviolet, violet and occasionally...
extrinsic detector
A photodetector composed of a semiconductor material whose responsive properties can be altered by the addition of...
pseudo-second-derivative
A method used to approximate the values of the homogeneous second derivatives at each iteration in the course of lens design...
vapor degreasing
A method of cleaning and drying coated optical components. The cooled parts are placed in a container above a boiling...
synchrotron
A synchrotron is a type of particle accelerator that uses magnetic fields to steer charged particles, typically electrons or...
minimum angle of deviation
The smallest angle through which light is bent by an optical element or system. In a prism, the angle of deviation is a...
electron power tube
An electron-beam tube with power-handling capability that is essentially based on controlled electron beams. Its control and...
flow cytometry
Flow cytometry is a powerful technique used in biology and medicine for the quantitative analysis of the physical and...
scintillation detector
A scintillation detector is a radiation detection device that utilizes scintillation crystals to detect and measure ionizing...
optoacoustic
Optoacoustic, or photoacoustic, refers to a phenomenon and related techniques that involve the generation of acoustic waves...
fiber optics
The use of thin flexible glass or plastic fibers as wave guides — or "light pipes" — to channel light from one...
photovoltaic
Photovoltaic (PV) refers to a technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductors. The term...
parasitic oscillation
Oscillation in rod and disc amplifiers that critically limits the achievable energy storage.
holographic tomography
Holographic tomography is an advanced imaging technique that combines holography and tomography to provide three-dimensional...
ray tracing
Ray tracing is a rendering technique used in computer graphics to simulate the way light interacts with objects in a scene....
laser head
Contains elements which produce lasing., e.g. gain medium, oscillator mirrors as well as housing.
normal dispersion
Dispersion characterized by an increasing index of refraction in the medium as the frequency of the propagating light...
quasar
A contraction of quasi stellar. An astronomical object that appears to be a star but has a different, larger redshift.
near-infrared spectroscopy
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive analytical technique that uses the near-infrared region of the...
lasing medium
The material that produces stimulated emission from within a laser oscillator. Laser gain media may vary from...
population inversion
The condition in which there are more atomic systems in the upper of two energy levels than in the lower, so stimulated...
lambda services
Term for service offered by a vendor who leases a particular wavelength to a customer through DWDM technology. Lambda...
scatterplate
A flat plate having its surface formed into a random pattern by abrasives. Radiation wavelengths that are longer than the...
spectral signature
A spectral signature, in the context of remote sensing and spectroscopy, refers to the unique pattern or characteristic...
excited-state absorption
In laser pumping, parasitic absorption that occurs at certain wavelengths, decreasing pump efficiency and gain.
structured illumination microscopy
Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) is an advanced optical imaging technique used in microscopy to enhance the...
pulse compression
A means of achieving higher peak powers and more efficient harmonic generation by narrowing the pulse width and thus...
laser active elements
Laser active elements typically refers to the substances or materials within a laser system that play a critical role in the...
phototherapy
Phototherapy is a medical treatment that involves the use of light to treat various conditions, particularly those related...
reagent
A reagent is a substance or compound that is used in a chemical reaction to bring about a specific transformation or to...
pixel
A pixel, short for "picture element," is the smallest controllable element of a digital image or display. It is a...
hybrid cooler
A cryogenic cooler device that is an intermittent Joule-Thomson refrigerator with a passive radiator serving as the...
multiple lens camera
A camera that uses a rotating mirror to project sequential images onto lenses that are arranged in an arc. The reflected...
Raman spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy is a technique used in analytical chemistry and physics to study vibrational, rotational, and other...
nonlinear optics
Nonlinear optics is a branch of optics that studies the optical phenomena that occur when intense light interacts with a...
threshold current
The minimum driving current corresponding to lasing threshold at a specified temperature. (Ith).
two-photon excited fluorescence
Two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) is a nonlinear optical method that allows imaging of biological cells and living...
mixed-signal oscilloscope
A mixed-signal oscilloscope (MSO) is a type of electronic test instrument that combines the capabilities of both a...
optical Fourier transform
The optical Fourier transform is a mathematical operation applied to optical signals that involves transforming a spatial...
diamondlike carbon film
A very hard, highly transparent coating based on forms of carbon, used to protect optical components from abrasion and...
quasi-Fourier transform
The transform defining that, if a reference beam is a divergent spherical wavefront, then the reconstructed image will be...
solarization
1. The reduction in the developable density of a photographic emulsion that has been extremely overexposed. 2. In a laser...
functional near-infrared spectroscopy
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive neuroimaging technique that measures changes in hemoglobin...
computer-generated hologram
A computer-generated hologram (CGH) is a holographic image produced using computational methods and algorithms, rather than...
inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a method of achieving nuclear fusion, a process where two atomic nuclei combine to...
doping
In the context of materials science and semiconductor physics, doping refers to the intentional introduction of impurities...
femtosecond laser
A femtosecond laser is a type of laser that emits ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of femtoseconds,...
Destriau effect
Observed electroluminescence of zinc sulfide phosphors when excited by an electric field. This effect is the basis for the...
neodymium glass
Glass containing small quantities of neodymium oxide that is used as a filter plate in color television or as a lasing...
Q-switch
A device used to rapidly change the Q of an optical resonator. It is used in the optical resonator of a laser to prevent...
spectral flow cytometry
Spectral flow cytometry is an advanced flow cytometry technique that expands the capabilities of traditional flow cytometry...
mode-locked lasers
Mode-locking is a technique used in lasers to produce ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of picoseconds,...
modulator
A modulator is a device or component that modifies a carrier signal in order to encode information for transmission over a...
phage
A phage, short for bacteriophage, is a type of virus that infects and replicates within bacteria. Phages are composed of...
ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine that focuses on the anatomy, physiology, and diseases of the eyes and visual system....
quasi-CW laser
A laser that generates a succession of pulses at a high enough repetition rate to appear continuous. The pump source is...
spatially offset Raman spectroscopy
Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) is a technique that extends traditional Raman spectroscopy by incorporating...
histochemical staining
Histochemical staining is a laboratory technique used in biology and medicine to visualize specific chemical components...
prelasing
When uncontrolled laser energy leaks from a laser cavity prematurely, it causes serious damage to optical components and...
emery
A natural abrasive, produced from corundum in grades ranging from rough to fine, used in the grinding and lapping of glass.
microfilm camera
A camera used to reduce originals onto film for easy storage. There are two basic types: one in which the film is fixed...
system on chip
Abbreviated SoC. A single chip containing all the electronic circuits required for a complete, working product. SoCs are...
micro-robotics
Micro-robotics refers to the field of robotics that involves the design, development, and application of miniature robotic...
3D laser triangulation
3D Laser Triangulation - A technology that allows sensors to probe the surroundings. Laser triangulation systems have an...
antialiasing
In image processing, methods of reducing image defects that result from false data. Techniques include sampling, linear...
computer numerically controlled grinding
Computer numerically controlled (CNC) grinding is a manufacturing process that utilizes computerized controls and precision...
oleophobic
Oleophobic is a term used to describe substances or materials that repel or resist oils. The word oleophobic comes from the...
coded aperture imaging
An imaging process in which the single opening of a simple pinhole camera is replaced with many openings called,...
spectral domain optical coherence tomography
Spectral domain optical coherence tomography is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics, particularly in...
fluorescence microscopy
Fluorescence microscopy is a specialized optical imaging technique used in biology, chemistry, and materials science to...
reflection reduction coating
The thin, transparent film made up of specific substances applied to glass-air surfaces for the purpose of decreasing the...
enhanced picture archiving and communication system display
Enhanced picture archiving and communication system (PACS) display (ePAD) is a software tool used in medical imaging to...
whole slide imaging
Whole slide imaging (WSI), also known as virtual slide microscopy or digital pathology, is a technology that involves the...
spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is a technique used in the study of interactions between matter and electromagnetic radiation. It involves...
quasi-monochromatic light
Single wavelength source with a larger linewidth often containing multiple longitudinal modes.
cyanocrylate cement
Adhering material used to glue optical components that transmit in the infrared. It is easily dissolved by acetone.
Mach-Zehnder interferometer
A Mach-Zehnder interferometer is an optical device used to measure the phase difference between two collimated beams of...
atomic absorption spectrometer
An atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) is an analytical instrument used to determine the concentration of specific chemical...
GRIN lens
A GRIN (gradient index) lens is a type of optical lens that utilizes a gradient in refractive index across its volume rather...
laser rod
In a solid-state laser, the material (Nd:YAG, Nd:glass, ruby) in which lasing action takes place.
test glass
A transparent block shaped accurately to reverse curvatures of the components it is used to test. By contacting an...
carrier injection
Carrier injection refers to the process of introducing charge carriers (either electrons or holes) into a semiconductor...
interferometric modulator display
Interferometric modulator display (IMOD) is a type of display technology used in electronic devices, known for its energy...
Nyquist criterion
In image acquisition (and sampling theory), the postulate that the pickup sampling frequency must be a minimum of twice as...
metabolic imaging
Metabolic imaging refers to the visualization and quantification of metabolic processes within living organisms, tissues, or...
laser output
The laser output refers to the generated and emitted light produced by a laser system. This output is characterized by...
q-switched operation
Q-switched operation, or q-switching, is a technique used in lasers to produce short and intense pulses of light. The term...
eye pattern
A pattern on an oscilloscope display that consists of a string of shapes that resemble eyes. Because the pattern becomes...
laser lithotripsy
Laser lithotripsy is a medical procedure that uses laser energy to break down or fragment stones in various parts of the...
holmium laser
Holmium lasers are a type of medical laser that utilizes holmium-doped crystals as the gain medium. The term holmium laser...
excimer laser coronary angioplasty
Excimer laser coronary angioplasty (ELCA) refers to a medical procedure used in the treatment of coronary artery disease....
medical lasers
Medical lasers are devices that produce intense beams of light with specific characteristics and properties, which are used...
metabolite
A metabolite is any small molecule that is a product of metabolism, the chemical processes that occur within living...
bluestone
An edging stone having a relatively coarse abrasive.
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of optical lens that consists of a series of concentric grooves or steps carved into a flat, thin...
gallium arsenide injection laser
A laser system consisting of a planar PN junction within a single crystal of gallium arsenide. The pair of parallel,...
chirped-pulse amplification
Chirped pulse amplification (CPA) is a technique used in laser physics to amplify ultrashort laser pulses to high energies...
CCD camera
A CCD camera, or charge-coupled device camera, is a type of digital camera that utilizes a CCD image sensor to capture and...
surveying instruments
Instruments used for measuring angles and occasionally lengths on the ground. The principal surveying instruments are the...
abrasive
Powder used to produce a smooth optical surface through abrasive polishing. Compounds may produce a surface finish specified...
grinding and polishing machinery
Machinery used to grind and finish a component, such as a lens or prism, to a desired precision. Usually such machines carry...
light-emitting diode
An LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
spatial light interference microscopy
Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) is an optical microscopy technique that belongs to the category of quantitative...
optical coatings
Optical coatings are thin layers of materials applied to optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, filters, and prisms,...
chemical vapor deposition equipment
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment refers to a class of specialized apparatus used in the process of chemical vapor...
focused laser scattering
A single-particle scattering technique in which an incident laser beam is tightly focused by means of lenses to yield a...
rotational transition
One of the types of change in the energy levels of molecules or atoms in a laser that can result in lasing action. Because...
thermal interface materials
Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are substances or compounds used to enhance the thermal conductivity between two surfaces...
positronium
Basically, a hydrogen atom with two alterations, positronium is the lightest atom in the universe and has an extremely light...
organic dye laser
A laser having a lasing material that is a fluorescing organic dye. Depending on the dye used, it can produce emission in...
lasing threshold
The lowest excitation power level at which a laser's output is mainly the result of stimulated emission rather than...
scanning electron microscope
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a powerful imaging instrument used in scientific research, materials...
unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot onboard. UAVs are remotely...
fluorescent screen
A fluorescent screen refers to a phosphorescent or fluorescent-coated surface that emits visible light when exposed to other...
sapphire crystal
Sapphire crystal refers to a transparent, single-crystal form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) known as corundum. It is one of the...
photonic integrated circuit
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a compact and integrated device that incorporates multiple photonic components and...
interferometer
An instrument that employs the interference of lightwaves to measure the accuracy of optical surfaces; it can measure a...
infrared camera
An infrared camera, also known as a thermal imaging camera or IR camera, is a device that captures and visualizes the...
micro-optics
Micro-optics refers to the design, fabrication, and application of optical components and systems at a microscale level....
reflectance confocal microscopy
Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a non-invasive imaging technique that allows for high-resolution, in vivo imaging...
prism chromatic resolving power
The chromatic resolving power of a prism is invariably stated for the case in which parallel rays of light are incident on...
free-electron laser
A free-electron laser (FEL) is a type of laser that generates coherent, high-intensity electromagnetic radiation by using a...
time-lapse optical coherence tomography
Time-lapse optical coherence tomography (OCT) refers to a medical imaging technique that captures a series of sequential OCT...
friability
The resistance of individual grains of an abrasive to breaking down under pressure. If the grains break down under...
magnetorheological finishing
Magnetorheological finishing (MRF) is a precision optics polishing technique used for shaping and finishing optical surfaces...
effect filter
A color filter, generally used in photography, to emphasize certain color tones and to modify others in a picture for a more...
microdisplay
A microdisplay is a miniature electronic display technology that is designed to project visual information onto a small...
fluorescent protein
Fluorescent proteins are proteins that exhibit the property of fluorescence, which is the ability to absorb light at a...
junction diode
A semiconductor device with the property of conducting current more easily in one direction than the other. It has two...
lapping
1. The process of wearing down the surface of a softer material by rubbing it under pressure against the surface of a harder...
recombinase polymerase amplification
Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is a molecular biology technique used to rapidly amplify specific DNA or RNA...
sapphire window
A sapphire window refers to a transparent optical component made from sapphire crystal. Sapphire is a single-crystal form of...
chelate laser
A laser having a rare-earth chelate within a plastic host as the lasing material. The chelate laser is easily pumped and has...
heterodyne receiver
A type of receiver that uses a local oscillator at a frequency deliberately offset from that of the incoming signal. It is...
proof-of-concept system
An assembly of prototype instruments, equipment and/or software designed to perform all the functions of a concept or idea...
monochromator
A monochromator is an optical instrument used to isolate and select a narrow range of wavelengths from a broader spectrum of...
molded blank
A blank whose basic surface curves are attained by heating and forming a given weight of raw glass; a rough glass blank...
voltage multiplier
A device that converts alternating voltage to direct voltage, while at the same time increasing its amplitude.
graphene
Graphene is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal...
ionography
An electroradiographic process that uses ionization of air by x-rays as a basis for forming electrostatic images.
waveguide
A waveguide is a physical structure or device that is designed to confine and guide electromagnetic waves, such as radio...
photopumping
The use of light to initiate the lasing process. See optical pumping.
anamorphic
A term used to denote a difference in magnification along mutually perpendicular meridians. Anamorphic systems are basically...
lap
A metal tool used to grind lenses with loose abrasive (see diamond cutting tool). The functional surface of the lap is...
photoplethysmography
Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a non-invasive optical technique used to detect changes in blood volume in tissues. It...
time-to-amplitude converter
A time-to-amplitude converter (TAC) is an electronic circuit that converts a time interval between two events into an...
optical coherence tomography imaging system
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics and biomedical research to obtain...
holographic microscopy
The holographic recording of a microscopic specimen whereby magnification is achieved by alteration in a wavelength or...
optogenetics
A discipline that combines optics and genetics to enable the use of light to stimulate and control cells in living tissue,...
photodynamic inactivation
Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a therapeutic approach that utilizes the combination of light, a photosensitizer, and...
Er:YAG laser
An Er:YAG laser is a type of solid-state laser that uses a crystal made of erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet...
inner focusing
In a camera, the movement of one or more lenses behind the front lens, rather than of the front lens itself, to bring the...
thermograph
The instrument used to collect thermal radiation information on an object by scanning. It consists basically of a detector,...
basic roughness
The roughness profile shape from which light scattering is expected to occur.
milling
An automatic surface-generating process involving the removal of a material from a given surface. Optical milling typically...
pathogen
A pathogen is a biological agent, such as a virus, bacterium, fungus, protozoan, or parasite, that causes disease in its...
microheterogeneous systems
Extremely small organic and inorganic systems of molecules within a substance. In general, systems are colloidal size in...
sputtering equipment
Sputtering equipment is machinery used in the process of physical vapor deposition (PVD), specifically sputtering....
zip-cord
A two-fiber optical cable containing two single-fiber cables that are connected by a strip of jacket and that can easily be...
autocollimator
An autocollimator is an optical instrument used for measuring small angular deviations with high precision. It operates on...
vibronic transition
A type of change in the energy levels of molecules in a laser that results in lasing action. Vibronic transitions are those...
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...
fiber laser
A fiber laser is a type of laser in which the active gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare-earth ions such as...
quasi-CW laser diode
A type of laser diode that operates at long pulsewidths.
achromat
An achromat, in the context of optics, refers to a type of lens or lens system designed to reduce chromatic aberration....
near-infrared camera
A near-infrared (NIR) camera is an imaging device designed to capture images in the near-infrared region of the...
photomask
A photomask, also known simply as a mask or reticle, is a key component in the photolithography process used in...
magnon
A magnon is a quasiparticle representing a quantized spin wave in a magnetic material. In other words, it is a collective...
protective coating
A film applied to a coated or uncoated optical surface primarily for protecting this surface from mechanical abrasion, from...
trapped plasma avalanche-triggered transit
Oscillator device composed of a semiconducting diode in a coaxial resonating cavity. When the biasing current is applied to...
optical bistability
The phenomenon that can render an optical resonator the equivalent of a semiconductor flip-flop. A bistable device will...
multispectral imaging
Multispectral imaging is a technique that involves capturing and analyzing images at multiple discrete spectral bands within...
swept-source laser
A swept-source laser, also known as a wavelength-swept laser, is a type of laser that rapidly and continuously changes its...
endoscope
An endoscope is a medical device used for visualizing and examining the interior of hollow organs, body cavities, or...
confocal scanning microscope
A microscope design that involves apertures inserted in conjugate plane positions inside the microscope, with one aperture...
volumetric imaging
Volumetric imaging refers to the capture, visualization, and analysis of three-dimensional (3D) information from a volume of...
micro-optical coherence tomography
Micro-optical coherence tomography (micro-OCT) is an imaging technique that is an adaptation of optical coherence tomography...
quantum-ehanced metrology
Quantum-enhanced metrology refers to the use of quantum mechanics principles and techniques to enhance the precision and...
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a laboratory technique used to detect and measure the presence of specific...
germanium crystal
Germanium crystal refers to a crystalline form of the element germanium (Ge), which is a metalloid and semiconductor...
de Broglie wavelength
The concept of the de Broglie wavelength exploits the wave-particle duality of quantum physics by associating all matter (of...
quantum key distribution
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a method of secure communication that utilizes principles from quantum mechanics to...
molded lens
A molded lens is an optical lens manufactured using a molding process, typically involving the shaping of a material, such...
laser diode module
A laser diode module is a compact device that incorporates a laser diode, optics, and often other components into a single...
diffuser
An optical diffuser is an optical component or material designed to scatter or diffuse light that passes through it. It is...
laser-mediated gene transfer
Laser-mediated gene transfer refers to a technique in molecular biology and genetic engineering that utilizes lasers to...
halogen lamp
A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen, quartz-halogen, or quartz iodine lamp, is an incandescent lamp that uses a...
ladder diagram
A diagram that shows actual component signals and the basic wiring configuration of a relay logic circuit.
Nd:YAG laser
Nd:YAG laser refers to a solid-state laser that utilizes neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:Y3Al5O12) as the gain...
Pockels cell
A Pockels cell, also known as an electro-optic modulator, is an optical device used to control the polarization of light by...
pressing
A blank having basic surface curves attained by forming heat-softened glass that is pressed in a mold.
optical coherence tomography angiography
Also known as OCT-A, optical coherence tomography angiography is an imaging technique that uses light waves to measure...
raster unit
The vertical or horizontal distance between two addressable points on a display screen; indicates the basic resolution...
virtual histology
Virtual histology refers to the use of digital technology and computational methods to simulate or recreate histological...
Grittington test
A method of determining the abrasion resistance of very hard materials by passing a weighted wiper blade across them in a...
metal vapor laser
Devices in which the lasing medium is a vapor of metal atoms or ions, sometimes mixed with another gas. Metal vapor lasers...
Golgi Staining Technique
The Golgi staining technique (also called the black reaction) makes it possible to look at the nervous system by rendering...
optical analysis
The mathematical evaluation of an optical system to determine and quantify its basic optical properties and image quality...
dirt hole
A hole filled with dirt such as a polishing abrasive and located in an optical surface. See dig; scratch.
diamond cutting tool
A tool made by imbedding small particles of diamond in the working edge. In the optical field, the most commonly used...
microchannel plate
A microchannel plate (MCP) is a specialized electron multiplier device used in various applications such as particle...
optical fiber optic switches
Optical fiber optic switches are devices used in optical fiber communication systems to selectively route optical signals...
flow chemistry
Flow chemistry, also known as continuous-flow chemistry, is a chemical manufacturing process where reactions take place in a...
optical design and engineering services
Optical design and engineering services involve the development, customization, and optimization of optical systems and...
liquid laser
A laser that uses a substance in the liquid state, such as an organic dye, as the active lasing medium.
photoimmunotherapy
Photoimmunotherapy (PIT) is a medical treatment approach that combines elements of phototherapy and immunotherapy to target...
helium-neon laser
A helium-neon (HeNe) laser is a type of gas laser that emits visible red light at a wavelength of 632.8 nm. It operates...
geometric optics
A field of physics that deals with light as if it truly were composed of rays diverging in various directions from the...
time of flight
(TOF) The length of time needed for a signal to arrive at and be reflected from the target. The basis of an active...
nuclear fusion
In physics, nuclear fusion refers to the process in which two atomic nuclei come together to form a heavier nucleus,...
polariton
A polariton is a quasiparticle resulting from the strong coupling between photons (light particles) and certain types of...
light diffusion
Light diffusion refers to the process by which light is scattered or spread out in various directions as it interacts with a...
Secondary Speckle Pattern
A self-interference effect that generates random patterns; secondary speckle pattern (SSP) typically occurs in diffuse...

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