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NIF Dictionary Terms

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...
parallel scanning
Parallel scanning refers to a method of acquiring data or images simultaneously from multiple sources or in parallel, rather...
microscope objective
The lens located at the object end of a microscope tube. A wide range of objectives is available, including simple...
weber
The magnetic flux that, linking a circuit of one turn, produces in it an electromotive force of one volt as it is reduced to...
stable multipass Fabry-Perot interferometer
A plane-parallel interferometer that yields extremely high contrast over a wide range of finesse values without...
short-wave radiation
Characterizes the significant solar radiation at the surface of the earth, so named because its spectral range extends only...
graphene
Graphene is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal...
telescope
An afocal optical device made up of lenses or mirrors, usually with a magnification greater than unity, that renders distant...
otoscope
An otoscope is a medical device used by healthcare professionals, particularly ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists,...
ephemeris time
Uniform measure of time based on dynamics law and calculated according to planetary orbital paths; specifically, Earth's...
lens blank
A lens blank is a piece of optical material in a raw, unfinished state, typically in the form of a disk or block, from which...
micro-LED
Micro-LED (micro-light-emitting diode) refers to a technology that involves the use of very small light-emitting diodes to...
perspective distortion
The distortion that is the result of viewing a print from a point other than the center of perspective. The center of...
longitudinal magnification
cathode-ray tube lens
A high-quality, narrow-angle lens of high aperture designed for low magnification in the recording of cathode-ray tube...
stereoscope
A small instrument containing a picture support and a pair of magnifying lenses so arranged that the left eye sees only the...
magnifying power
The ability of an optical system to make an object appear larger. An optical element or optical system causing an object to...
snooperscope
An instrument used for viewing in low levels of illumination by means of infrared radiation. A high-aperture lens forms an...
nonselective sensor
A radiometric device or system having uniform responsivity relative to all of the radiation parameters, or relative to one...
optical glass
Optical glass refers to a type of glass specifically engineered and manufactured for use in optical components and systems,...
ultraviolet reflectance
Ultraviolet reflectance refers to the ability of a material or surface to reflect UV light. Ultraviolet light is...
flicker noise
Any noise with a power spectral density that is the inverse of the signal's frequency and is therefore most significant for...
ring-laser gyroscope
A ring laser gyroscope (RLG) is a type of gyroscope that uses laser light to detect and measure changes in orientation. It...
binocular magnifier
A device having a pair of decentered lenses, one for each eye, that focuses on a single object as a magnifier. It is often...
panoramic distortion
The image distortion produced by a panoramic camera with a swinging lens or a swinging mirror in front of a fixed lens. The...
splitting uniformity
When splitting the output of a single optical fiber into two or more fibers, the difference in the maximum loss between any...
Ronchi test
More efficient than the Foucault knife-edge test, this test examines curved mirrors by using a transmission grating with 40...
Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor
The Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is an optical device used for measuring the wavefront aberrations of an optical system....
attenuator
An electronic transducer, either fixed or adjustable, that reduces the amplitude of a wave without causing significant...
electron multiplication charge-coupled device camera
An EMCCD (electron-multiplying charge-coupled device) camera is a type of scientific camera specifically designed for...
machine vision system
A machine vision system is an integrated combination of hardware and software components designed to capture, process, and...
sapphire optical fiber
Sapphire optical fiber is a type of optical fiber made from single-crystal sapphire, which is a form of aluminum oxide...
stereomicroscope
Wide-field, low-magnification device that consists of two compound microscopes focused on a single object, producing an...
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...
relay lens
A lens or lens system used to transfer a real image from one point within an optical system to another, with or without...
epitaxial deposition
Epitaxial deposition is a process used in semiconductor manufacturing and materials science to grow a thin crystalline...
centrifuge microscope
A microscope that can be used to observe and magnify microscope specimens while they are being centrifuged. The objective...
optical nonlinearity
The phenomenon that makes nonlinear the mathematical expression for the electrical polarization of a medium through which...
beam shaper
A beam shaper is an optical device or system designed to modify the spatial profile or intensity distribution of a laser or...
event-based sensor
An event-based image sensor, also known as a dynamic vision sensor (DVS), is a type of digital imaging device designed to...
topology
Topology is a branch of mathematics that focuses on the properties of space that are preserved under continuous...
dark mirror
A multilayer coating that manifests both a low radiant reflectance and radiant absorption.
ion-beam sputtering
Ion-beam sputtering (IBS) is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique used for depositing thin films onto substrates. It...
uniformly redundant array
Array used in coded-aperture imaging experiments with two-beam CO2 lasers that provide an artifact-free process, faithful...
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...
infrared lens
An infrared lens is an optical component specifically designed and optimized for transmitting, focusing, or manipulating...
magnification
The ratio of the size of the image of an object to that of the object. The ratio of the linear size of the image to that of...
solar simulator
A solar simulator is a device used to replicate the spectrum and intensity of sunlight in a controlled environment for...
hyperchromic shift
Hyperchromic shift refers to an increase in the absorption of light, leading to a higher absorbance, often observed in...
plasma accelerator
A plasma accelerator is a type of particle accelerator that uses electric fields and magnetic fields to accelerate charged...
ultrafast pulsed laser
An ultrafast pulsed laser is a type of laser that emits extremely short pulses of light with durations typically on the...
constant linear velocity
Method of disk rotation used for optical disk drives, in which the spindle motor decreases the speed of the disk's rotation...
coherent noise
The manifestation of light from scatterers outside the plane of the object in coherent light systems. The output of these...
high-voltage electron microscope
An imaging device whose technology contributes three specific advantages: ability to study large solid specimens that...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
neuromorphic vision sensor
A neuromorphic vision sensor is a type of imaging device designed to mimic the structure and functioning of the human visual...
stereomicroscopy
The use of a specialized optical microscope designed to provide a more three-dimensional view of a sample. Stereomicroscopy...
hand viewer
A device small enough to be held in a hand that uses a magnifying lens and a translucent back to permit the viewing of...
microfiche
A small card (10 x 15 cm) that has been treated with a photographic emulsion to record and store the microimages of...
phase distrortion
Phase distortion refers to a change in the phase relationships between different frequency components of a signal. In the...
phase
In optics and photonics, "phase" refers to a property of electromagnetic waves, such as light, that describes the position...
zoom
To control, by magnifying or reducing, the size of a televised image, either electronically or optically.
hole burning
The dip or gap in the profile of a laser beam's line width when it is both homogeneously and inhomogeneously broadened. When...
lensless microscopy
Lensless microscopy, also known as computational or holographic microscopy, is an imaging technique that captures and...
Lyot filter
A type of filter consisting of a series of birefringent crystals and polarizers invented by French astronomer Bernard Lyot...
surface-enhanced Raman scattering
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful analytical technique that enhances the Raman scattering signal of...
photomultiplier tube
A photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a highly sensitive vacuum tube that detects and amplifies low levels of light. It is widely...
structured illumination microscopy
Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) is an advanced optical imaging technique used in microscopy to enhance the...
lens testing equipment
Lens testing equipment refers to a range of specialized tools and instruments used to evaluate the optical performance,...
wide-field fluorescence microscopy
Wide-field fluorescence microscopy uses either naturally occurring structures or staining with fluorescent tags that are...
germanium crystal
Germanium crystal refers to a crystalline form of the element germanium (Ge), which is a metalloid and semiconductor...
Rayleigh scattering
Rayleigh scattering is a phenomenon that occurs when light waves interact with particles or molecules that are much smaller...
chirality
Chirality is a property of certain molecules and objects in which they are non-superimposable on their mirror images. In...
Mach bands
The illusory appearance of a light or dark band at a line of brightness contrast that enhances the edge between the two...
Ronchi grating
A transparent plate ruled with black lines and equal, clear spaces. It is used as a multiple knife-edge for testing a...
virtual histology
Virtual histology refers to the use of digital technology and computational methods to simulate or recreate histological...
macrophotography
the photography of very close, and typically small objects with a magnification of approximately 1:1
Casimir force
The Casimir force is a quantum phenomenon that results in an attractive force between two closely spaced uncharged...
telephoto power
The ratio between the focal length of a lens having a longer focal length than that of the standard lens used with a camera,...
microphotonics
The technology of manipulating light on a micro scale. In optical communications, this is usually accomplished using two or...
anamorphic
A term used to denote a difference in magnification along mutually perpendicular meridians. Anamorphic systems are basically...
low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit (LEO) refers to a region in space that is relatively close to Earth's surface, typically characterized by...
reflective
The term reflective is an adjective that describes the ability of a surface or material to reflect light or other forms of...
ordinary ray
The ray that has an isotropic speed and maintains a uniform polarization in all propagation directions when traveling in a...
radiographic amplifier screen
A solid-state panel of the photoconductor-electroluminescent type. The photoconductive layer, sensitive to x-rays, is coated...
convex
Convex is an adjective used to describe a surface or shape that curves outward, bulges, or has a rounded and outwardly...
Abbe illumination
Image of a uniform source through the sample of a microscope image system. Light from the sample plane is reimaged by the...
concave and convex spherical mirror
Concave and convex spherical mirrors are types of curved mirrors that have surfaces shaped like segments of spheres. These...
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter...
whole slide imaging
Whole slide imaging (WSI), also known as virtual slide microscopy or digital pathology, is a technology that involves the...
minimum spot size
The smallest linear diameter to which a laser or other beam of radiant energy is capable of being focused, depending on the...
laser optics
Laser optics refers to a broad category of optical components and systems designed for manipulating and controlling laser...
diffuser
An optical diffuser is an optical component or material designed to scatter or diffuse light that passes through it. It is...
spheric lens
A spheric lens, also known as a spherical lens, is a type of optical lens with at least one surface that is part of a...
photochemical
The term photochemical pertains to chemical processes or reactions that are initiated or influenced by the absorption of...
nonradiative transition
A nonradiative transition refers to a process in which an electron or an atom undergoes a change in its energy state without...
nodal bench
A bench with instrumentation including a collimator, a microscope, positioners and a nodal slide used to rotate a lens about...
brightfield
Brightfield refers to a type of microscopy and imaging technique in which the specimen is illuminated with a white light...
free-space optics
Free-space optics (FSO), also known as optical wireless communication or optical wireless networking, refers to the...
optical dynameter
A small low-power microscope or magnifier with a scale that is used to measure the exit pupil diameter and eye relief on...
standard refraction
The refraction that would take place in an idealized atmosphere where the refractive index is reduced uniformly with height...
absolute magnification
The value of the distance of distinct vision, minimum focusing distance or near point, divided by the focal length of the...
mode beating
In optics, "mode beating" refers to an interference phenomenon that can occur in laser systems with multiple longitudinal...
laser
A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...
anisotropic
Anisotropic is a term used to describe a material or substance that exhibits different properties or behaviors in different...
photolithography
Photolithography is a key process in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and...
molecular motor
A molecular motor refers to a nano-sized device composed of organic molecules or other small-scale components that can...
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...
computer vision
Computer vision enables computers to interpret and make decisions based on visual data, such as images and videos. It...
rare-earth elements
Rare-earth elements (REEs) are a group of seventeen chemical elements found in the Earth's crust, characterized by their...
Fresnel reflection
Fresnel reflection refers to the reflection of light at the interface between two different media with different refractive...
telephoto magnification
etaloning
Etaloning is an optical phenomenon that occurs in imaging systems, particularly in devices such as spectrometers,...
auxiliary telescope
A low-power telescope placed at the eyepiece of an optical system to increase overall magnification. Most often used to...
Seidel aberrations
Seidel aberrations refer to a set of monochromatic aberrations in optical systems, named after the German mathematician and...
perovskite
The term perovskite refers to a specific crystal structure commonly found in various materials. Perovskite structures have a...
halftone screen
A plate containing a uniform pattern of transparent holes in an opaque background, the clear area being nearly equal to the...
macro lens
A camera lens, used in macrophotography, that is designed and corrected to produce optimum definition of a nearby object...
thin-film deposition equipment
Thin-film deposition equipment refers to machinery and tools used in the process of depositing thin layers of material onto...
Airy disc
The central peak (including everything interior to the first zero or dark ring) of the focal diffraction pattern of a...
fusion ignition
Fusion ignition refers to the point in a controlled nuclear fusion reaction where the energy released by the fusion...
amplifier
A device that enlarges and strengthens a signal's output without significantly distorting its original waveshape. There are...
Abbe-Porro prism
A reflecting prism that inverts the image. The image is reflected four times internally and emitted laterally. The prism is...
relay condenser
A form of lens assembly used in a projection system to maximize efficiency and assure uniform illumination of the object...
scaling law
In coherence theory, an optical law put forth by physicist Emil Wolf that explains the behavior of light as it travels away...
copying camera
A camera mounted on an optical bench with an easel to hold the material to be copied. Magnification can be varied over a...
microfilm reader
A device used to view microfilmed documents where the image on film is projected, in magnified form, onto a rear projection...
attenuation
Attenuation refers to the gradual loss or reduction of intensity, force, or magnitude of a particular property as it...
fluorescent protein
Fluorescent proteins are proteins that exhibit the property of fluorescence, which is the ability to absorb light at a...
isolator
In the context of electronics and optics, an isolator refers to a device that allows the transmission of signals in one...
radiograph
An x-ray or radium photograph illustrating the nonuniform density of the structure that the rays penetrate.
phonon
A phonon is a quantum of vibrational energy associated with the periodic motion of atoms or molecules in a crystalline...
tangential distortion
Optical aberration such that image magnification varies with ray distance from the optical axis in a radial distortion.
phototheranostics
Phototheranostics, a portmanteau of "photo" (light), "therapy," and "diagnostics," refers to an emerging field that combines...
fluorographic lens
A lens having an extremely high aperture and used in the recording of x-ray fluorescent screen images. It often is specially...
mode-locked lasers
Mode-locking is a technique used in lasers to produce ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of picoseconds,...
holographic microscopy
The holographic recording of a microscopic specimen whereby magnification is achieved by alteration in a wavelength or...
nodal testing
The measurement of first- and higher order properties of a lens and its formed image, including effective focal length, back...
time-lapse camera
A cine camera that exposes a series of individual frames to record the changes in a subject that slowly alters with time....
quantum confinement
Quantum confinement refers to the phenomenon in quantum mechanics where the motion of charge carriers, such as electrons or...
Brillouin scattering
Brillouin scattering is a phenomenon in physics where an incident electromagnetic wave (usually light) interacts with...
filovirus
Filoviruses are a family of viruses that are responsible for severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fevers in humans and...
three-photon microscopy
Three-photon microscopy is an advanced imaging technique that belongs to the family of multi-photon microscopy methods. It...
inertial fusion energy
Inertial fusion energy (IFE) refers to a proposed method of generating electricity by harnessing the energy released from...
epitaxial equipment
Epitaxial equipment refers to a set of specialized tools and systems used in the process of epitaxy, which is the growth of...
electron microscope
A device utilizing an electron beam for the observation and recording of submicroscopic samples with the aid of photographic...
astronomical mirror
An astronomical mirror, also known as a telescope mirror or primary mirror, is a key component of a reflecting telescope. It...
epitaxial
Epitaxial refers to the growth of a crystalline layer on a crystalline substrate in such a way that the orientation of the...
anisotropy
Anisotropy refers to the property of exhibiting different values or characteristics when measured in different directions....
mirror
A smooth, highly polished surface, for reflecting light, that may be plane or curved if wanting to focus and or magnify the...
silicon carbide light-emitting diodes
Silicon carbide (SiC) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric current is...
field ion microscope
An extremely powerful microscope that renders individual ionized atoms visible by using an electric field to propel the ions...
qubit
A qubit, short for quantum bit, is the fundamental unit of information in quantum computing and quantum information...
magnifier
A lens or lens system that produces an enlarged virtual image of an object placed near its front focal point.
ferroelectric domain
The region of a ferroelectric crystal where spontaneous polarization is uniformly directed.
virtual base
The product of the actual base or baseline of a rangefinder or heightfinder, and the power or magnification of the...
full wave compensator
A piece of uniform birefringent material placed at a 45° angle to the plane of polarization in a polarizing microscope...
uniform color space
A color space in which equal distances represent equal visually perceived color differences.
microfluoroscope
A fluoroscope equipped with a magnified, fine-grained fluorescent screen to determine the fluorescence emitted by a...
stage micrometer
In microscopy, a calibrated scale on a slide that may be viewed to determine the exact magnification factor of the...
step index profile
A profile of an optical component, usually a fiber, in which the core is of uniform refractive index and the cladding or...
lithography
Lithography is a key process used in microfabrication and semiconductor manufacturing to create intricate patterns on the...
multi-axis alignment
Multi-axis alignment refers to the process of aligning or adjusting components or systems in multiple spatial dimensions or...
half bandwidth
The term half bandwidth (HBW) generally refers to the width of a spectral band or frequency range at half of its maximum...
mirage
The distortion of an object's true image as the result of abnormal atmospheric disturbances along the path traveled by the...
microdisplay
A microdisplay is a miniature electronic display technology that is designed to project visual information onto a small...
GigE
GigE, short for gigabit Ethernet, refers to a standard for high-speed Ethernet communication, capable of transmitting data...
lumen
A lumen is a unit of measurement used to quantify the amount of luminous flux, which is the perceived power of light. In...
split-image microscope
A mask-alignment microscope used to produce and inspect microcircuits in the electronics industry. It provides flat-field,...
uniform diffuser
free-electron laser
A free-electron laser (FEL) is a type of laser that generates coherent, high-intensity electromagnetic radiation by using a...
prism binoculars
A pair of telescopes with prismatically erected images, mounted side by side with the eyepieces at the interocular distance...
randomized fiber optic cable
Fiber optic cable in which the arrangement of fibers within the bundle has been made random so that output light will be...
point-projection x-ray microscopy
A method of producing magnified images by x-rays. The specimen is placed close to a point source of x-rays; the...
Abbe prism
A form of roof prism used to invert an image. The prism has faces cut normal to the optical axis; therefore, the prism may...
Fizeau fringes
Fizeau fringes are interference fringes observed in an interferometer, specifically in a Fizeau interferometer. The Fizeau...
parallel-plate waveguide
A pair of waveguides with axes normal to the plane and that guide uniform cylindrical waves.
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...
electron-beam film scanning
The method by which photographic film is scanned by an electron beam. One technique uses the uniform light of a television...
comparator
1. An eyepiece or magnifier with a scale at its image plane. That scale is placed in contact with an object, permitting...
focal length
The focal length of a lens is the distance between the lens's optical center (or principal point) and the image sensor or...
henry
The inductance of a closed circuit in which an electromotive force of one volt is produced when the electric current in the...
freeform mirrors
Freeform mirrors refer to reflective optical components that deviate from traditional symmetric or rotationally symmetric...
GaN-based LEDs
Gallium nitride-based light-emitting diodes (GaN-based LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric...
spinthariscope
A device through which scintillations are observed or counted through a magnifying lens system.
double-discharge laser
A type of transversely excited laser with a uniform arc-free discharge of large cross-sectional area that can be scaled to...
optical phase distortion
Optical phase distortion refers to a phenomenon where the phase of an optical wavefront is altered as it propagates through...
pathogen
A pathogen is a biological agent, such as a virus, bacterium, fungus, protozoan, or parasite, that causes disease in its...
angstrom
An angstrom, symbolized by the Ångström or Å, is a unit of length used to express atomic and molecular...
phase screen
A phase screen, in the context of optics and wave optics, refers to a surface or medium that introduces a phase delay to an...
cold shield
That part of an infrared detector-Dewar assembly that limits the solid angle viewed by the sensor; it is maintained at a...
microscopy
Microscopy is a scientific technique that involves the use of microscopes to observe and study objects that are too small to...
metrology
Metrology is the science and practice of measurement. It encompasses the theoretical and practical aspects of measurement,...
electron-beam gun
1. A device generally used in a cathode-ray or camera tube to emit a stream of electrons moving at uniform velocity in a...
bidirectional reflectance distribution function
Unified notation for specification of reflectance in terms of both incident- and reflected-beam geometry; i.e., the ratio of...
prelasing
When uncontrolled laser energy leaks from a laser cavity prematurely, it causes serious damage to optical components and...
eyepiece
Also known as ocular. The lens system used between the final real image in a visual optical system and eye. It acts as an...
time-correlated single photon counting
Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) is a technique used in photon counting applications, particularly in the...
knife-edge test
 light diffusion
Light diffusion refers to the process by which light is scattered or spread out in various directions as it interacts with a...
lateral magnification
 optical combiner
An optical combiner, in the context of optics and display technologies, refers to a device or component that combines...
reading glass
A low-power magnifier that usually has a large diameter.
scanning electron microscope
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a powerful imaging instrument used in scientific research, materials...
laser damage threshold
The laser damage threshold refers to the maximum level of laser intensity that a material can withstand without experiencing...
uniphase interference
In interferometry, the result of superimposing two wavefronts of identical shape, yielding a uniform intensity interference...
chip-on-board lights
Chip-on-board (COB) lights refer to a type of LED lighting technology where multiple LED chips are directly mounted onto a...
camera
A light-tight box that receives light from an object or scene and focuses it to form an image on a light-sensitive material...
radial distortion
An alteration in magnification from the center of the field to any point in the field, measured in a radial direction from...
radially variable reflectivity optic
A reflecting optic whose reflectivity is a function of the radial distance from the optic axis; can be used to convert a...
second-harmonic generation
Second-harmonic generation (SHG) is a nonlinear optical process that occurs when two photons with the same frequency combine...
astronomical telescope
An astronomical telescope is a type of optical instrument designed to gather and magnify light from distant celestial...
quantum cascade laser
A quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics....
halogen lamp
A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen, quartz-halogen, or quartz iodine lamp, is an incandescent lamp that uses a...
sapphire window
A sapphire window refers to a transparent optical component made from sapphire crystal. Sapphire is a single-crystal form of...
chromatic difference of magnification
rare earth dopants
Rare earth dopants refer to elements from the lanthanide series, also known as rare earth elements, that are intentionally...
achromat
An achromat, in the context of optics, refers to a type of lens or lens system designed to reduce chromatic aberration....
optical coatings
Optical coatings are thin layers of materials applied to optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, filters, and prisms,...
photoresponse nonuniformity
Noise created by patterns imaged on a CCD surface. Pixel sensitivity is altered by responsivity during illumination.
empty magnification
Magnification that is above the level of maximum useful magnification and does not contribute useful resolving power. In a...
nanotube
A nanotube, also known as a nanotubule or simply a tube-like structure, is a nanoscale cylindrical structure composed of...
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...
far-field region
A region far from an aperture or source where the diffraction pattern is essentially the same as that at infinity. Changes...
excess noise factor
A factor, F, indicating the increase in shot noise in an avalanche photodiode as compared with the ideal multiplier, which...
optical air mass
A measure of the optical path length for light traveling from the sun or other celestial source through Earth's atmosphere...
error function
A single number, defined by the computer program or the user that expresses the performance of an optical system. Also known...
image jump
In optics, the term image jump refers to a displacement or shift in the apparent position of an image when a change occurs...
luminescence
Luminescence is the emission of light that occurs without the involved substance undergoing a significant increase in...
uniform luminance area
In a cathode-ray tube, the region wherein a display on the tube keeps 70 percent or more of its luminance at the center of...
optical testing instrument
An optical testing instrument is a device or system used to evaluate and measure the performance, quality, and...
loupe
A low-power (2x to 10x) magnifier consisting of a single positive lens assembly.
step index fiber
An optical fiber in which the core is of uniform refractive index.
Bertrand lens
A small convergent lens, located between the objective and eyepiece of a microscope, that focuses an image of the upper...
fiber optic taper
A coherent fiber optic bundle made from fibers whose diameter changes gradually along its length. Used to magnify or reduce...
wide-field eyepiece
An eyepiece or magnifier capable of covering a field of view that is greater than 50°.
micro-robotics
Micro-robotics refers to the field of robotics that involves the design, development, and application of miniature robotic...
machine vision lens
A machine vision lens is a specialized optical lens designed for use in machine vision systems, which are used for automated...
address
The code signifying the location of the information being sought on a CD-ROM.
APD detector
An APD detector, or avalanche photodiode detector, is a type of photodetector used to detect light or optical signals by...
charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a type of electronic image sensor used in various imaging devices, including digital...
contour projector
An inspection device in which the profile of a mechanical part is projected onto a ground-glass screen at a precisely known...
microscope
An instrument consisting essentially of a tube 160 mm long, with an objective lens at the distant end and an eyepiece at the...
deep learning
Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that involves the use of artificial neural networks to model and solve complex...
angular magnification
 knife-edge scanning microscope
An imaging device originally created to image whole mouse brain volumes at microscopic resolution. The main component of the...
absorption coefficient, absorption cross section
The transition cross section constant coefficient which defines the transition probability of absorption from ground to a...
Foucault knife-edge test
The Foucault test is performed by moving a knife edge laterally into the image of a small point source. The eye, or a...
scanning electron microscopy
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is an advanced imaging technique used in microscopy to obtain high-resolution,...
nitrogen vacancy
A nitrogen vacancy (NV) refers to a specific type of defect or impurity in a crystal lattice where a nitrogen atom replaces...
microcomb
A microcomb, short for microresonator frequency comb, is a novel photonic device that generates a precise series of evenly...
minimum visible
The smallest area of uniform brightness that can be seen by the eye. It is measured in terms of the solid angle subtended by...
tip-enhanced Raman scattering
Tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) is a powerful technique that combines Raman spectroscopy with the enhanced spatial...
distance of distinct vision
The near-point distance of the normal eye. The value of 10 in. or 25 cm is normal. This value is used in evaluating the...
two-photon excited fluorescence
Two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) is a nonlinear optical method that allows imaging of biological cells and living...
objective
The optical element that receives light from the object and forms the first or primary image in telescopes and microscopes....
diamond turning
Diamond turning, also known as diamond machining or diamond cutting, is a precision machining process used to produce...
plasmonics
Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free...
minimum object distance
Minimum object distance, often abbreviated as MOD, refers to the closest distance at which a camera lens or optical system...
impurity level
In the context of optical materials, the term "impurity level" refers to the presence of foreign atoms or molecules within...
microradiography
Radiographic recording and enhancement of the micoscopic details within the structure of thin specimens at a high...
extreme ultraviolet
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) refers to a specific range of electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum....
Dammann grating
A Dammann grating is a type of diffractive optical element (DOE) used to create an array of equally spaced,...
coma
A lens aberration, resulting from different magnifications in the various lens zones, that occurs in that part of the image...
power
With respect to a lens, the reciprocal of its focal length. The term power, as applied to a telescope or microscope, often...
simple magnifier
A short focal length (less than five inches) positive lens used to produce a magnified image of the object being viewed....
radiation trapping
That process by which radiation spontaneously emitted by a volume of optical materials is resonantly reabsorbed within the...
cold atom
Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to...
sine wave testing chart
A test chart whose luminance changes uniformly in one direction according to a sinusoidal rule. These charts carry groups of...
beam profiling
Beam profiling is a technique used to characterize and analyze the spatial intensity distribution of a laser beam. It...
illuminated magnifier
A magnifying lens fitted with a battery-operated lamp by which an object can be conveniently illuminated during observation.
surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an analytical technique that combines the principles of Raman spectroscopy...
lambertian emitter
An optical source that has a luminous distribution that is uniform for all directions.
Rydberg atom
The term "Rydberg atom" refers to an atom in a highly excited state where one or more of its electrons are in a Rydberg...
gas magnification
The increase in current of a phototube as a result of the gas in the tube becoming ionized.
nonlinear optics
Nonlinear optics is a branch of optics that studies the optical phenomena that occur when intense light interacts with a...
phase matching
Phase matching is a crucial concept in the field of optics, particularly in nonlinear optics and the generation of coherent...
anamorphic system
An optical system with different focal lengths or magnification levels in perpendicular planes to the optical axis.
GRIN lens
A GRIN (gradient index) lens is a type of optical lens that utilizes a gradient in refractive index across its volume rather...
machine vision lighting
Machine vision lighting refers to the use of specific lighting techniques and equipment in the field of machine vision,...
inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a method of achieving nuclear fusion, a process where two atomic nuclei combine to...
quantum
The term quantum refers to the fundamental unit or discrete amount of a physical quantity involved in interactions at the...
anamorphic distortion
A type of distortion in which the magnification varies in different orientations, the directions of maximum and minimum...
gallium nitride
Gallium nitride (GaN) is a compound made up of gallium (Ga) and nitrogen (N). It is a wide-bandgap semiconductor material...

(284 results found)

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