Search
Menu
PI Physik Instrumente - Semiconductor Applications 5/24 LW LB
PI Dictionary Terms

photonic cavity
A photonic cavity, also known as an optical cavity, is a structure that confines electromagnetic radiation within a certain...
sputtering target
A sputtering target is a solid material used in the process of physical vapor deposition (PVD), specifically sputtering....
optical filter
An optical filter is a device that selectively transmits or blocks specific wavelengths, or colors, of light. Optical...
brightness control
The manual shifting bias control of a cathode-ray tube that determines both the average brightness and the contrast of a...
phenotype
In biology, particularly genetics and evolutionary biology, the phenotype refers to the observable characteristics or traits...
relief
The discernment of depth or apparent difference in distance that causes the object to stand out from its background because...
photon drag effect
The induction of an electric field in a semiconductor by an incident laser beam. The technique has rapid response time at...
lock-in amplifier
A lock-in amplifier is a specialized electronic instrument used to extract and measure small signals embedded in noise or...
anamorphic
A term used to denote a difference in magnification along mutually perpendicular meridians. Anamorphic systems are basically...
silicon photodiode
A silicon photodiode is a semiconductor device that converts light into an electrical current. It is a type of photodetector...
deflection focusing
The progressive defocusing of a cathode-ray tube display image that occurs when the deflected electron beam impinges on the...
electron trapping optical memory
A method of erasable optical data storage in which information is stored by visible light, then read by illumination with an...
quantitative phase imaging
Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is an advanced imaging technique used in microscopy to measure and analyze the optical...
longitudinal pumping
A dye laser cell configuration in which the dye flows in the direction of the axis of the laser, yielding symmetrical energy...
modulation frequency
Rate at which optical radiation or a signal is varied through the use of a mechanical or electronic chopper. Also called...
photodetector
A photodetector, also known as a photosensor or photodiode, is a device that detects and converts light into an electrical...
electromagnon
An electromagnon is a quasiparticle excitation that combines aspects of both magnetism and electric polarization in a...
bayonet coupling
A coupling mechanism designed to quickly lock a connector into an adaptor or a lens into a lens mount. Typically coupling is...
biomarker
A biomarker, short for biological marker, refers to a measurable and quantifiable indicator of a biological condition,...
hyperfine splitting
The splitting of an element's spectral line as the result of the interactions between the electron spin and the spins of...
t number
The equivalent f number of a fictitious lens that has a circular opening and 100 percent transmittance, which would give the...
ultraviolet fiber optics
Ultraviolet (UV) fiber optics refers to optical fibers that are designed and optimized for the transmission of ultraviolet...
phosphorescence spectroscopy
The spectroscopic study of the radiation emitted by the lifetime of phosphorescence.
supercontinuum
Supercontinuum refers to a broad spectrum of light that spans a wide range of wavelengths, typically from the visible to the...
spindle
A loose term for a single polishing machine. In a lens factory it is the minimum unit of production.
gyroscope
A gyroscope is a mechanical device consisting of a spinning disk or wheel mounted on a spinning axis in such a way that its...
neuromorphic vision sensor
A neuromorphic vision sensor is a type of imaging device designed to mimic the structure and functioning of the human visual...
carbonization
Carbonization is a process in which organic materials are heated in the absence of air, leading to the decomposition of the...
orthoscopic
Corrected for distortion.
stereoscopic vision
Vision in depth of three dimensions as a result of the spacing of the eyes. This spacing allows the eyes to see objects from...
dielectric coated grating
A shallow, fine-pitch diffraction grating having a precise dielectric overcoating that experimentally has absorbed...
stroboscopic light source
An electronic flash tube capable of repeated operation at hundreds or thousands of flashes per second for long periods.
Coulomb damping
Conversion of vibratory energy into heat that is observed in the rubbing of two dry surfaces over each other.
entrance slit
The entrance slit, also known simply as the slit, is an essential component in optical instruments such as spectrometers and...
gray levels
In image processing, machine vision and television, discrete brightness values quantized for a group of pixels. They can...
barium titanate
A crystalline material used in piezoelectric devices.
glass
A noncrystalline, inorganic mixture of various metallic oxides fused by heating with glassifiers such as silica, or boric or...
macrobending
In optical fiber, bends that are larger than microbends (see microbending), being visible. Generally they are caused by...
nematic phase
A form of liquid crystal with an appearance of moving, threadlike structures, particularly visible when observed in thick...
blocking material
Pitch, wax, resin or other cement suitable for holding optical parts to a spindle during grinding and polishing processes.
fusion
1. The combination of the effects of two or more stimuli in any given sense to form a single sensation. With respect to...
raster image processor
In imaging technology, a device that converts raster or line-scan data to pixel form for further processing.
piezoresistance
Piezoresistance is a phenomenon in materials science and physics where the electrical resistance of a material changes in...
blue diode laser
A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...
PIN photodiode
A PIN photodiode is a type of photodetector or semiconductor device used to convert light signals into electrical signals....
wafer
In the context of electronics and semiconductor manufacturing, a wafer refers to a thin, flat disk or substrate made of a...
high-speed motion camera
A high-speed motion camera, also known as a high-speed camera or slow-motion camera, is a specialized imaging device...
fusion ignition
Fusion ignition refers to the point in a controlled nuclear fusion reaction where the energy released by the fusion...
picosecond pulse
A pulse having extremely short duration, about 10-13 to 10-10 s, that is produced by mode locking of wide-bandwidth lasers,...
fluorescence photography
The photographic recording of a subject that exhibits luminescence only for an extremely short time (10-8 s) after the...
ion-beam sputtering
Ion-beam sputtering (IBS) is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique used for depositing thin films onto substrates. It...
bioluminescence
Heatless light emissions from living organisms caused by the combination of oxygen and pigments such as luciferin.
chronophotography
The photographic recording of an action by taking a series of still pictures at regular intervals throughout the action.
microspectrograph
A microspectroscope equipped with a sensing and recording device, such as a camera, to measure the spectrum formed by...
laser-induced fluorescence
Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is a spectroscopic technique that involves using a laser to excite molecules or atoms,...
metallorganic vapor phase epitaxy
flame excitation
The use of high temperatures, between 2000 and 3000 °C, to excite emission lines from a sample in spectroscopic...
ray intercept plot
A graph of the intersections of a fan of rays with the final image plane, plotted as a function of the positions of the rays...
digital signal processing
Digital signal processing (DSP) refers to the manipulation and analysis of signals, which are representations of physical...
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...
land
In a CD-ROM disc, the reflective area between nonreflective pits representing a binary-language "off'' as opposed to...
pumping band
A group of energy levels to which ions in the ground state are initially excited when pumping radiation is applied to a...
multiplet
A group of related lines that represent transitions between two spectroscopic terms, each of which may be complex. Also in...
microbubble resonator
A microbubble resonator is a device used in photonics and optical physics for the precise manipulation of light waves. It...
digital point system
A pixel-based computer graphics system that simulates the tools of an artist.
hair-trigger operation
Triggering a laser at a predetermined time by pumping it to a level just below its threshold and then using an auxiliary...
polygonal mirror
A polygonal mirror, also known as a multifaceted mirror or facet mirror, is a type of optical component used in various...
Wiener experiment
After putting a thick photographic emulsion on a front-faced mirror, and exposing the emulsion to monochromatic incident...
film thickness gauge
An interferometer spectrometer designed to measure thicknesses of thin films or layers by recording the interferogram and by...
spiral scanning
A scanning process in which the greatest amount of radiation determines part of a spiral motion rotating in one direction.
laser lithotripsy
Laser lithotripsy is a medical procedure that uses laser energy to break down or fragment stones in various parts of the...
antiblooming gate
A device that prevents electrons from a saturated pixel in a CCD imaging device from spilling into an adjacent pixel. The...
microflash
An extremely short, high intensity electronic flash of light, having a duration of about 1 x 10-6 s, used in photographing...
microdensitometry
The science that deals with the measurement of optical absorbance (i.e. optical densities) over microscopic areas of a given...
equidensitometry
1. The use of an electronic microdensitometer to measure points of equal density on a photographic deposit. 2. A technique...
two-photon polymerization
Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is a technique used in additive manufacturing, specifically in the field of 3D printing. It...
focus
1. The focal point. 2. To adjust the eyepiece or objective of a telescope so that the image is clearly seen by the observer....
Fabry-Perot spectroscopy
The spectroscopic analysis of interference patterns using a monochannel spectrometer, spectrograph or multichannel...
blind approach beacon system
A ground-based navigation beacon that emits pulsed signals which are picked up by aircraft making an instrument (blind)...
metastable state
An excited energy state of an atom or atomic system that has a longer lifetime than the ordinary excited state and typically...
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...
exciter lamp
A small incandescent lamp whose intense beam is focused on the optical soundtrack of a motion picture film. The soundtrack...
collection angle
The solid angle of a detector or system pupil as seen by the source.
diffraction grating
A diffraction grating is an optical component consisting of a surface with a periodic structure of equally spaced, parallel...
metabolite
A metabolite is any small molecule that is a product of metabolism, the chemical processes that occur within living...
Galilean telescope
A refracting telescope that yields an erect image by the use of a positive lens for its objective and a negative lens for...
pathogen
A pathogen is a biological agent, such as a virus, bacterium, fungus, protozoan, or parasite, that causes disease in its...
phase mask
In optics and photolithography, a phase mask refers to a device that modifies the phase of light waves passing through it....
plasmon ion-assisted deposition
Plasmon ion-assisted deposition (PIAD) is a technique used in thin-film deposition processes, particularly in the production...
picosecond spectroscopy
A method of measuring complex sequential photosynthetic reactions by varying the pulse time and wavelength of light...
addressability
In display technology, an expression of resolution given by the number of pixels in both the horizontal and the vertical...
mapping function
In image processing, the mathematical relationships that link pixel brightnesses of input images to those of output images...
microradiography
Radiographic recording and enhancement of the micoscopic details within the structure of thin specimens at a high...
scanning moire topography
A contour mapping technique that uses electronic scanning and sampling techniques instead of a reference grating (see moire...
smart pixel array
An array of active optical devices (modulators, laser diodes and/or detectors), each of whose electrical inputs or outputs...
etalon
An etalon is an optical device that consists of two parallel reflecting surfaces separated by a precise and known distance....
sapphire optical fiber
Sapphire optical fiber is a type of optical fiber made from single-crystal sapphire, which is a form of aluminum oxide...
stereoscope
A small instrument containing a picture support and a pair of magnifying lenses so arranged that the left eye sees only the...
mandrel wrap test
A means of testing optical fiber for macrobending losses by wrapping the fiber once at very low tension around a mandrel,...
coded aperture imaging
An imaging process in which the single opening of a simple pinhole camera is replaced with many openings called,...
terahertz spectrometer
A terahertz spectrometer is a scientific instrument used to measure and analyze the properties of materials in the terahertz...
infrared mapping
The process of mapping the infrared emittance of an area through the use of an infrared detector and related scanning...
scanning
The successive analysis or synthesizing of the light values or other similar characteristics of the components of a picture...
scintillation camera
A pinhole camera used to record a radioactive tracer's distribution in a subject by means of a scintillation counter or a...
adaptive optics
Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of...
triad
In a color cathode-ray tube, a grouping of three color dots (red, blue and green) that represent one pixel in the final...
microscope
An instrument consisting essentially of a tube 160 mm long, with an objective lens at the distant end and an eyepiece at the...
monocoil sheathing
A type of tubing used to protect optical fiber cables, consisting of a wire spiral of aluminum, galvanized steel or...
light diffusion
Light diffusion refers to the process by which light is scattered or spread out in various directions as it interacts with a...
dewetting
Dewetting is a phenomenon in materials science and physics where a thin film or coating spontaneously undergoes a process of...
laser powder bed fusion
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a type of additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that uses a high-power...
FMCW lidar
FMCW lidar stands for frequency-modulated continuous wave lidar. It is a type of lidar (light detection and ranging)...
astronomical telescope
An astronomical telescope is a type of optical instrument designed to gather and magnify light from distant celestial...
anisotropic
Anisotropic is a term used to describe a material or substance that exhibits different properties or behaviors in different...
chemical laser
A laser that relies on chemical activity instead of electrical energy to produce the pumping action necessary to form pulses...
pinhole camera
A lensless photographic camera that uses a small sharp-edged hole as its aperture. The light passed by this aperture onto...
modified chemical vapor deposition
Modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) is a technique used in the fabrication of optical fibers. It is a specialized form...
comparison microscope
Two microscopes that are coupled on a common stand, the two images being projected side by side in the field of view of a...
dilation
In image processing, a morphology operator in which a structuring element or probe of a particular shape is moved over the...
tellurium
The material favored for study of interaction of high-acoustic intensities with free carriers. Tellurium is the...
pitch polishing compound
Pitch for polishing mixed with other materials to give it the right viscosity so that it will follow the fine-ground lens...
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...
interocular distance
The distance between the two eye pupils when the observer is viewing distant objects (normal = 62 mm).
base-altitude ratio
In aerial photography, the ratio derived from a stereoscopic pair of photographs that represents the air-base length divided...
pinhole eyepiece
A type of eyepiece, or the modification of an eyepiece, in which a small hole, without a lens, functions as the eye lens;...
gamma
A numerical value representing the degree of contrast in a television picture: the exponent of the power law used to...
ophthalmic instruments
A family of specialized instruments used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to study a patient's eyes and prescribe...
thermoplastic cement
An adhesive whose viscosity decreases as the temperature is increased to a limit. Canada balsam, resin and pitch are...
bore
The central hole running the full length of a laser capillary tube, in which electrical discharge and laser action take...
scanning electron microscopy
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is an advanced imaging technique used in microscopy to obtain high-resolution,...
heightfinder
A rangefinder used to determine the height or altitude of aerial targets by means of optical triangulation. The device...
moiré topography
Contour mapping technique that involves positioning a grating close to an object and observing its shadow on the object...
high-speed holography
The holographic recording of sequences of high-speed phenomena. With a multiple beam laser, multiple holograms that depict...
optically isotropic crystal
A transparent crystalline substance that displays the same optical properties (i.e. refractive index) in all directions such...
precision aperture
An accurately produced hole of any size and shape that is used as a masking device in an optical system. Pinhole apertures...
computer-generated holographic scanner
A phase reflection scanner that eliminates the need for a complex translation device while maintaining a high-energy-density...
beryllium oxide
A dielectric ceramic material used in laser capillary tubes because of its high electrical resistivity and high thermal...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically...
electro-optic Fabry-Perot spectroscopy
The spectroscopic analysis of interference patterns using an electronic imaging tube with a Fabry-Perot interferometer to...
pitch
In positioning, rotation about an axis normal to the line of sight. Also known as attitude.
rotary laser
A structured light device using a rapidly rotating laser to project a beam of light that appears to the human eye as a...
band spectrum
A spectrum that originates from molecules and that is composed of bands which, in turn, consist of many closely spaced...
thermopile
 entrance pupil
In a lens or other optical system, the image of the aperture stop as seen from object space.
saticon
A direct-readout television pickup tube.
embedded laser
The term "embedded laser" typically refers to a laser device that is integrated or embedded into a larger system or...
magnon
A magnon is a quasiparticle representing a quantized spin wave in a magnetic material. In other words, it is a collective...
constant variant enhancement
Technique that uses high-pass filtering to reduce the local average to zero for all regions of the picture and then applies...
well plate
A well plate, also known as a microplate or microtiter plate, is a flat plate with multiple small wells or depressions...
optical design software
Optical design software refers to specialized computer programs used by optical engineers, physicists, and designers to...
attosecond photonics sources
Attosecond photonics sources refer to devices or systems that generate extremely short pulses of light on the order of...
Nd:YAG laser
Nd:YAG laser refers to a solid-state laser that utilizes neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:Y3Al5O12) as the gain...
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a type of material that has electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. In...
venetian-blind effect
Short-distance scattering of light in holography caused by random index inhomogeneities and the developing index that...
nonmonotonic cell
Used in halftone screens to change the fundamental sampled spatial frequency of the halftoned picture, as well as varying...
optical data storage
The storage of information via optical means, primarily employing a low-power laser to inscribe data on a photosensitive...
phage
A phage, short for bacteriophage, is a type of virus that infects and replicates within bacteria. Phages are composed of...
divided circle spectrometer
A spectroscope having a divided circle and a means for the rapid reversal of prisms for the measurement of refractive index...
cutting
The process of forming a lens to a given pattern, or of cutting a piece of glass along the line of scratch.
dioptometer
A telescopic system having an eyepiece, a reticle and an objective. The instrument measures wavefront power in diopters.
light-beating spectroscopy
The spectroscopic analysis of optical line shapes and frequency shifts, using the technique of light beating; i.e., the...
FTIR spectrometer
FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrometer is a powerful analytical instrument used to obtain an infrared spectrum of...
micromanipulator
A device that provides means for accurately moving minuscule tools over the surface of a microscopic object. The motion...
Mach-Zehnder interferometer
A Mach-Zehnder interferometer is an optical device used to measure the phase difference between two collimated beams of...
line scan
Line scan refers to a method of capturing images or data by scanning a single line at a time, as opposed to capturing the...
optical coherence tomography
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique used in medical and scientific fields to capture...
burnishing
The process of lapping a thin edge of metal over the bevelled edge of a lens to maintain it within its cell.
mirror blank
A mirror blank refers to the initial piece of material from which a mirror is made. It is typically a flat or slightly...
image inverter
A system of elements which rotates the optical image with respect to the optical axis by a factor of pi radians.
curvilinear distortion
A lens aberration in which the focal length varies radially outward from the center of the field. It has the effect of...
chipping
 Kapitza-Dirac diffraction
The diffraction of a particle by a standing lightwave.
law of reversibility
In physics, the law of reversibility is often associated with the concept of reversibility in thermodynamics. The law...
mosaic structure
In a crystal, its subdivision into polyhedral blocks of macroscopic sizes, with discontinuities contained in the lattice...
eye relief
Also termed eye distance. The distance between the vertex of the last optical surface of a visual optical system and the...
augmented reality
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that integrates digital information, typically in the form of computer-generated...
primary fluorescence
Fluorescence produced as a result of the intrinsic property of the material itself or the doping of the material with trace...
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...
hyperopia
A vision defect commonly referred to as farsightedness. Results when the image of a distant object is focused beyond the...
fiber lapping
A method of optical fiber coupling in which the fibers are ground down to expose their cores and placed together to allow...
photodischarge spectroscopy
A spectroscopic process that detects and analyzes the discharge from an extrinsic surface with less than bandgap light. This...
fiber fuse
A phenomenon in which high optical power, encountering an imperfection in an optical fiber, destroys the fiber's core and...
spatial filter
1. Generally, an emulsion mask having a clean annular region in an otherwise opaque region. It is designed to eliminate...
spin-flip Raman laser
A semiconductor laser that operates in the infrared and that is pumped with strong pulses of radiation from a second laser....
fiber optic cable assembly
A fiber optic cable assembly refers to a complete unit consisting of optical fibers, connectors, protective jackets, and...
colmascope
A polariscope used to demonstrate strain inherent in a piece of glass.
image definition area
In computer graphics, the coordinated two-dimensional or three-dimensional area of increased resolution where graphics...
fiber optic transceiver
A fiber optic transceiver, often simply referred to as an "optical transceiver," is a device used in fiber optic...
APD detector
An APD detector, or avalanche photodiode detector, is a type of photodetector used to detect light or optical signals by...
blocking pitch
An adhesive used to affix optical elements to an approximately shaped body -- usually of cast iron.
aptamer
An aptamer is a short, single-stranded DNA or RNA molecule that can bind to a specific target molecule with high affinity...
scintillation crystal
A scintillation crystal, also known simply as a scintillator, is a material that emits light when it interacts with ionizing...
cathode-ray tube faceplate
A fiber optic end plate constructed by drawing a bundle of parallel fibers embedded in glass and cutting it into thin...
Schlieren photography
The formation of a picture or image in which the density gradients in a volume of flow are rendered visible. The image is...
full wave compensator
A piece of uniform birefringent material placed at a 45° angle to the plane of polarization in a polarizing microscope...
alignment telescope
An optical tooling instrument consisting of an objective lens, a focusing lens, an optical micrometer, a reticle and an...
ultrasonic
Ultrasonic refers to sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing, typically above...
directed energy
Directed energy refers to a type of energy that is emitted and transferred in a controlled direction. The term is often...
magnetorheological finishing
Magnetorheological finishing (MRF) is a precision optics polishing technique used for shaping and finishing optical surfaces...
convolution
An image-enhancement technique in which each pixel is subjected to a mathematical operation that groups it with its nearest...
hyperstereoscopy
A type of stereoscopic photography in which the distance between the two view points is greater than the average...
photovoltaic
Photovoltaic (PV) refers to a technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductors. The term...
electrophoretic display
An electrophoretic display, often referred to as an electronic paper display or e-paper display, is a type of electronic...
pico (p)
In the SI system, prefix meaning 10-12.
mixed crystal
A homogeneous solid solution with crystal lattice sites occupied, at random, by the molecules or ions of two or more...
television microscope
A device designed to enlarge the image of a microscopic object by television process. It may be a flying spot scanner that...
double-raster format
A mode of laser printing in which each pixel is printed four times, providing sharper lines and a continuous tone from...
rim ray
A ray of an image-forming bundle that passes through the edge of the entrance pupil or aperture stop. Usually used in...
endoscopic photography
The photographing of objects within generally inaccessible areas using endoscopes with camera attachments.
piezo-optical transducer
A structure consisting of a thin film of liquid crystal sandwiched between light-polarizing filters that have received a...
laser drift
Laser drift typically refers to a phenomenon where the frequency or wavelength of a laser source gradually changes over...
relative brightness
A figure of merit corresponding to the amount of light seen by a viewer through binoculars. A higher number indicates a...
edge detection
In image processing, the location of edges by employing templates that respond to the first or second derivative of...
liquid crystal light valve
A liquid crystal light valve (LCLV), also known as a spatial light modulator (SLM), is an optical device that modulates the...
antifog coating
A coating that is capable of stopping the condensation of moisture on an optical surface.
lapping
1. The process of wearing down the surface of a softer material by rubbing it under pressure against the surface of a harder...
thermocouple
A device composed of dissimilar metals that, when welded together, develop a small voltage dependent upon the relative...
white level
The state of a carrier signal that corresponds to maximum picture brightness in a television system.
mid-wave infrared
MWIR stands for mid-wave infrared, referring to a specific range of wavelengths within the infrared spectrum. Infrared...
metabolic imaging
Metabolic imaging refers to the visualization and quantification of metabolic processes within living organisms, tissues, or...
microfluoroscope
A fluoroscope equipped with a magnified, fine-grained fluorescent screen to determine the fluorescence emitted by a...
anisotropy
Anisotropy refers to the property of exhibiting different values or characteristics when measured in different directions....
image converter high-speed camera
A camera that uses an image converter tube in such a way that voltage waveforms applied to internal electrodes cause the...
piezoelectric motion systems
Piezoelectric motion systems are mechanical systems that utilize piezoelectric materials to generate controlled motion or...
direct viewing
The observation of a reproduced television picture on the face of a cathode-ray tube.
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment or experience that can be...
molecular beam epitaxy
 atomic force microscope
An atomic force microscope (AFM) is a high-resolution imaging and measurement instrument used in nanotechnology, materials...
Kellner eyepiece
An eyepiece consisting of a planoconvex field lens and a cemented doublet as the eye lens.
metalens
A metalens, short for "metasurface lens," is a type of optical lens that uses nanostructured materials to manipulate light...
back-illuminated CCD
A CCD that has been reduced in thickness by etching so that light passes through the back layers of the CCD. This type of...
auxiliary telescope
A low-power telescope placed at the eyepiece of an optical system to increase overall magnification. Most often used to...
polar
Depicting one of the two ends of an axis of rotation.
phototoxicity
Phototoxicity refers to the harmful effects caused by exposure to light, particularly intense or ultraviolet (UV) light, on...
quantum-ehanced metrology
Quantum-enhanced metrology refers to the use of quantum mechanics principles and techniques to enhance the precision and...
free-electron laser
A free-electron laser (FEL) is a type of laser that generates coherent, high-intensity electromagnetic radiation by using a...
photogrammetry
Photogrammetry is a technique used to obtain accurate three-dimensional measurements of objects and environments through the...
fusing
The permanent uniting of two glass pieces by high-temperature heating.
femtosecond laser
A femtosecond laser is a type of laser that emits ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of femtoseconds,...
photometry
Photometry is the branch of science that deals with the measurement of light, particularly in terms of its intensity and the...
stroboscopic interferometry
A pulsed interferometer that permits the continuous quantitative mapping of the surface deformation of an adaptive optical...
facsimile radio
The conversion of a still picture into sound waves and its subsequent transmission by radio.
inertial fusion energy
Inertial fusion energy (IFE) refers to a proposed method of generating electricity by harnessing the energy released from...
hydroscopic
Designed to observe objects below the surface of water. Not to be confused with hygroscopic.
laser tweezers
A technique based on the principles of laser trapping and used to manipulate the position of small particles by gradually...
optogenetics
A discipline that combines optics and genetics to enable the use of light to stimulate and control cells in living tissue,...
isotropic
That property of a material that determines that velocity of propagation within the material is the same for all directions.
fluorescence spectroscopy
The spectroscopic study of radiation emitted by the process of fluorescence.
atomic clock
An atomic clock is a highly precise timekeeping device that uses the vibrations or oscillations of atoms as a reference for...
episcope
sapphire
Sapphire refers to a crystalline form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) that is used in various optical and photonic applications...
rolled edge
Also known as a turned-down edge. A rapid change of curvature near the edge in a lens or prism surface.
flying spot scanner
A device used to scan, with a small, intensely bright spot, portions of a picture surface and to transform the original...
vapor-phase epitaxy
autocollimator
An autocollimator is an optical instrument used for measuring small angular deviations with high precision. It operates on...
intensified charge-coupled device camera
An intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera is an advanced imaging device that combines the capabilities of both an...
stereocomparator
1. A stereoscope that has adjustable scales to allow the determination of distances and dimensions from stereoscopic...
dichroscopic eyepiece
An eyepiece used in a polariscope or polarizing microscope to give a comparison view of the same object under illumination...
germicidal UV
Germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) refers to a specific range of UV radiation that has disinfectant properties capable of killing...
infrared lens
An infrared lens is an optical component specifically designed and optimized for transmitting, focusing, or manipulating...
particle acceleration
Particle acceleration refers to the process by which charged particles, such as electrons or protons, gain kinetic energy...
computer-output microfilm system
A camera system capable of producing microfilm copies of computerized data presented on a screen.
fiber-based confocal luminescence microscope
A microscope in which laser light is delivered through single-mode fibers that replace the pinhole usually used in confocal...
crystal oscillator
An oscillator that uses a piezoelectric crystal to control its frequency.
clinical photography
The application of photography, with the exception of radiography, to obtain pictures of parts or the whole of a patient to...
borescope
A device for the internal inspection of hard-to-get-at mechanical parts, such as rifle barrels, sewer pipes, oil wells, or...
bleach (or bleacher)
A chemical used in the developing of positive photographs that incites oxidation and thereby dissolves the negative silver...
excimer laser coronary angioplasty
Excimer laser coronary angioplasty (ELCA) refers to a medical procedure used in the treatment of coronary artery disease....
time-lapse optical coherence tomography
Time-lapse optical coherence tomography (OCT) refers to a medical imaging technique that captures a series of sequential OCT...
head-up display
An optical system that superimposes a synthetic display providing navigational or weapon-aiming information on a pilot's or...
quantum dots
A quantum dot is a nanoscale semiconductor structure, typically composed of materials like cadmium selenide or indium...
magnetic tape recorder
An instrument used to record sound, pictures or both on a magnetic tape for storage and playback.
wedge ring detector
A diffraction pattern sampling unit composed of a 32-element monolithic silicon photodiode array and a readout unit. The...
detector-Dewar assembly
A detector-Dewar assembly typically refers to a combination of a detector and a Dewar flask used in scientific instruments,...
red, green, blue
RGB stands for red, green, blue, which are the primary colors of light used in additive color mixing. The RGB color model is...
swept source optical coherence tomography
Swept-source optical coherence tomography is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics, particularly in...
Becke line
A band of light that appears along the outer edge of a transparent material under microscopic investigation and that moves...
coring
A mass-relieving method whereby material is removed through the sides of a reflector in a direction parallel to the surface....
flying spot microscope
A microscope that uses a flying spot scanner, directed through the eyepiece, as a light source to determine the features of...
free-space optical interconnect
A type of internal photonic connection in an integrated circuit in which a holographic grating is used to focus light at...
biocular
A term pertaining to devices (generally optical) designed for use with both eyes viewing through a single exit pupil. The...
donpisha
A type of asynchronous shutter device that is used particularly in CCD sensor applications to capture an image of a...
scanning line
1. The continuous thin strip marked by the scanning beam. Generally, during return of the scan, the line is blanked out. 2....
optical fiber
Optical fiber is a thin, flexible, transparent strand or filament made of glass or plastic used for transmitting light...
audiovisual
Concerned with the transmission and reception of both sight and sound. An audiovisual system communicates pictorial images...
focused laser scattering
A single-particle scattering technique in which an incident laser beam is tightly focused by means of lenses to yield a...
rainbow hologram
Essentially, a hologram of a hologram, in which the first-generation hologram is masked with a narrow slit. During image...
three-level laser
A laser having a material, such as ruby, that has an energy state structure of three levels: the ground state (1) wherein...
photobleaching
Photobleaching is a phenomenon in which the fluorescence of a fluorophore (a fluorescent molecule or dye) is permanently...
cleaning equipment
In optics, degreasers or ultrasonic arrangements used for removing pitch, cement or polishing material from lenses during...
optical head
In compact disc and CD-ROM technology, the portion of the drive that projects the laser light onto the surface of the media...
ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine that focuses on the anatomy, physiology, and diseases of the eyes and visual system....
holographic grating
A holographic grating is a type of diffraction grating that is produced using holographic recording techniques. It consists...
dot matrix display
A display format consisting of small light-emitting elements arranged as a two-dimensional array. Various elements are...
CCD image sensor
A CCD image sensor, or charge-coupled device image sensor, is a type of electronic device used to convert optical images...
second-order nonlinear optical properties
Second-order nonlinear optical properties refer to a class of phenomena exhibited by certain materials in response 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...
scientific complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
Scientific complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (sCMOS) refers to a type of image sensor technology specifically designed...
mesoscope
In the field of optics and imaging, a mesoscope refers to an optical instrument that is designed to observe and capture...
binary thresholding
An imaging technique that labels all gray pixels as either black or white before processing begins.
microRNA
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, single-stranded RNA molecules, typically consisting of about 19 to 24 nucleotides,...
multianode microchannel array detector
A photon-counting instrument for use in both space-borne and ground-based photometric and spectroscopic instrumentation....
reflection grating
A reflection grating is an optical component that consists of a series of closely spaced, parallel reflecting surfaces or...
micropit
A laser-induced scar on experimental bare glass surfaces usually attributable to threshold damage and indicative of isolated...
Doppler-spread imaging
An imaging process, similar to specific Doppler mapping radar techniques, that utilizes a laser, an optical imaging system,...
spiral
A defect in the cleaved end face of an optical fiber in which the surface changes abruptly.
texel
A contraction for "texture element." A base unit used in computer graphics that defines the surface of three-dimensional...
packet
The finite amount of electrical charge generated in response to incident radiation and transferred from one storage element...
photoresponse nonuniformity
Noise created by patterns imaged on a CCD surface. Pixel sensitivity is altered by responsivity during illumination.
inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a method of achieving nuclear fusion, a process where two atomic nuclei combine to...
laser crystal
A laser crystal, also known as an active medium or gain medium, is a solid-state material used in the construction of...
galvanometric scanner
A galvanometric scanner, also known as a galvanometer scanner or galvo scanner, is a type of optical scanning device used to...
active-matrix
An OLED display that has an integrated electronic backplane as its substrate. Active-matrix OLED displays use at least two...
vacuum gauge
A gauge designed to measure the degree of vacuum in an evacuated vessel. A simple U-tube containing mercury is adequate for...
custom optic
A custom optic refers to an optical component that is designed, manufactured, and tailored to meet specific requirements or...
spectrophotometer
A spectrophotometer is a scientific instrument used to measure the intensity of light at various wavelengths in the...
orthotropic
Having a longer axis that is relatively vertical.
otoscope
An otoscope is a medical device used by healthcare professionals, particularly ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists,...
Fried length
The length of the small space within which the atmosphere exhibits coherence, particularly in relation to an observer on...
photovoltaic cell
A photovoltaic cell, commonly known as a solar cell, is a semiconductor device that directly converts light energy into...
homojunction
A junction between semiconductors that differ in their doping level conductivities but not in their atomic or alloy...
machine vision
Machine vision, also known as computer vision or computer sight, refers to the technology that enables machines, typically...
gallium arsenide phosphide
Gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) is a semiconductor alloy composed of gallium (Ga), arsenic (As), and phosphorus (P). It...
Lummer-Gehrcke plate
A high-resolution spectroscopic device commonly used in the early 20th century as a component of double-beam...
brightness resolution
The degree to which a pixel in a digital image represents the analog brightness of the corresponding point in the original...
optical fiber optic switches
Optical fiber optic switches are devices used in optical fiber communication systems to selectively route optical signals...
tissue optics
The study of the optical properties of living tissue. Increased understanding of the behavior of light in this varied,...
machine vision lens
A machine vision lens is a specialized optical lens designed for use in machine vision systems, which are used for automated...
polished mold
A mold for glass or plastics often made of stainless steel to prevent pitting or oxidation in service. It is polished to the...
double refraction
The separation of unpolarized light into two plane-polarized elements by a doubly refracting crystal. When a crystal, such...
Brucke loupe
A telemicroscope in which a negative eyepiece is used to produce erect images.
picture monitor
A kinescope used to survey the details of television video transmission.
mid-infrared camera
A mid-infrared camera is a type of imaging device designed to capture images in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range,...
Keplerian astronomical telescope
A simple form of astronomical telescope that uses a fixed objective and a focusable eyepiece. The objective forms an...
leading edge spike
In a sequence of laser pulse emissions, the intitial pulse that often helps initiate a reaction at the target surface,...
field lens
1. A lens situated at or near the plane of an internal image to project the aperture of a previous objective or erector upon...
Weissenberg method
The Weissenberg method, named after the German physicist Karl Weissenberg, is a technique used in x-ray crystallography for...
dispersion-shifted fiber
A dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF) refers to a type of optical fiber designed to minimize the effects of chromatic dispersion,...
achromat
An achromat, in the context of optics, refers to a type of lens or lens system designed to reduce chromatic aberration....
GaAlAs laser
A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic...
phototherapy
Phototherapy is a medical treatment that involves the use of light to treat various conditions, particularly those related...
absorption peak
An absorption peak refers to a sharp increase or spike in the absorption of electromagnetic radiation at a particular...
Cornu-Jellet prism
A prism formed by dividing a Nicol prism in a plane parallel to the path of vibration of the transmitted light and taking...
noncoherent bundle
An assembly of optical fibers that will not transmit coherent images or information because the relationship of the fibers...
attosecond-pump attosecond-probe spectroscopy
Attosecond-pump attosecond-probe spectroscopy (APAP) is an advanced technique in ultrafast spectroscopy that allows...
pupilometer
An instrument for measuring the diameter of the human eye pupil.
Lambert's cosine law
Flux per unit solid angle leaving a surface in any direction is proportional to the cosine of the angle between that...
beam shaper
A beam shaper is an optical device or system designed to modify the spatial profile or intensity distribution of a laser or...
camera shutter
An apparatus, designed for use with a camera, that is used to rapidly open the path from lens to film, to maintain the...
multiphase pinned operation
A method of reducing dark current in charge-coupled devices by holding all the clocks at negative voltage during the...
charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a type of electronic image sensor used in various imaging devices, including digital...
gyroscopic camera mount
A mount that uses a floating suspension and a motor-driven gyroscope to keep a motion picture or still camera at a set angle...
microfilm equipment
Two essential pieces of equipment used in connection with the microfilming process: a camera capable of producing, on film,...
recombinase polymerase amplification
Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is a molecular biology technique used to rapidly amplify specific DNA or RNA...
multi-axis alignment
Multi-axis alignment refers to the process of aligning or adjusting components or systems in multiple spatial dimensions or...
channel substrate planar growth
The creation of a diode laser structure by liquid-phase epitaxy over a grooved substrate.
laser optics
Laser optics refers to a broad category of optical components and systems designed for manipulating and controlling laser...
unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot onboard. UAVs are remotely...
spatial resolution
Spatial resolution refers to the level of detail or granularity in an image or a spatial dataset. It is a measure of the...
degreaser
A tank with a boiling solvent at the bottom and a ring of cold piping higher up that condenses the liquid and returns it to...
charge-injection device
A charge-injection device (CID) refers to a class of devices that manipulate and detect electrical charge within a...
diamond-turned optic
Diamond turning refers to a precision machining process used to produce complex optical components, particularly lenses and...
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...
total internal reflection fluorescence
Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy is an advanced fluorescence microscopy technique that leverages the...
stereoscopic rangefinder
A rangefinder similar to a pair of binoculars with a long base, a dot or other wander mark provided in each eyepiece field,...
Voigt effect
The induced birefringence in isotropic gases that results when the gases are placed in strong fields.
blaze height
Blaze height typically refers to a parameter in the context of diffraction gratings, which are optical devices consisting of...
unimorph
A piezoelectric transducer made of a thin strip of piezoelectric material bonded to a strip of metal.
bit boundary block transfer
A data transfer function that moves a rectangular group of pixels between bit maps. Often used in displaying cursors and...
far-infrared laser
A laser with output over a wide range of wavelengths spanning the far-infrared region of the spectrum (30 to 1000 µm);...
remote sensing
Remote sensing is a method of data collection and observation where information about objects, areas, or phenomena on...
digital video compression
A step-by-step method of reducing the amount of data in a digital video signal to transmit or store a high-quality image....
topological photonics
Topological photonics is a branch of physics and optics that explores the application of topological concepts to 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...
jitter
1. In relation to cathode-ray tube displays, errors in the signal's amplitude, phase or both that result in small, rapid...
densitometer
1. An instrument used to measure the opacity or density of dyes, pigments or dispersed particles that form an image in or on...
mechanical tube length
In a microscope, the physical distance between the focal points of the objective lens and the eyepiece. The standard tube...
bilinear interpolation
It is often necessary to estimate the value of what a pixel would be between neighboring pixels. This is accomplished by...
line-scan camera
A line-scan camera, also known as a line-scan image sensor or linear array camera, is a type of digital camera designed to...
serioscopy
A variation of tomography, which is a means of visualizing any one of a large set of parallel planes in the patient. A...
process camera
A photographic camera designed to produce reproduction film of visual information (pictures, line drawings, graphs) for...
footprint
1. The sector of the Earth's surface registered upon a remote sensing device in a satellite. 2. The amount of space occupied...
corner cube
A corner cube, also known as a corner reflector or retroreflector prism, is a type of optical device used to reflect light...
halogen lamp
A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen, quartz-halogen, or quartz iodine lamp, is an incandescent lamp that uses a...
plane densitometer
An instrument designed to give precise and rapid detection of changes in tumor growth as well as the location of small...
plasmonics
Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free...
saturation
1. The decrease of the absorption (or gain) coefficient of a medium near some transition frequency when the power of the...
laser cavity
A laser cavity, also known as an optical cavity or resonator, is a fundamental component of a laser system. It is a confined...
sextant
A handheld navigational instrument used to measure the elevation angle of celestial bodies such as the sun. An image of the...
chirping
A rapid change, as opposed to a long-term drift, of the emission wavelength of an optical source. Chirping is most often...
lithography
Lithography is a key process used in microfabrication and semiconductor manufacturing to create intricate patterns on the...
myopia
A vision defect commonly referred to as nearsightedness. The defective condition results when the image of a distant object...
dye laser
A laser using a dye solution as its active medium. Its output is a short pulse of broad spectral content and its achievable...
graphene
Graphene is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal...
campimeter
 helical scanning
A method used in facsimile scanning that sweeps the elemental area across the copy in a spiral motion as the result of the...
cinematography
The technique of making motion pictures.
wide-field eyepiece
An eyepiece or magnifier capable of covering a field of view that is greater than 50°.
diaphragm shutter
A shutter consisting of a ring of interweaving blades that open outward and allow light to pass when they are pivoted at...
MSM photodiode
A metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodiode is a type of photodetector that consists of metal electrodes on a semiconductor...
reflective spectroscopy
Reflectance spectroscopy is a technique used to analyze the reflective properties of materials across various wavelengths of...
high-speed shutter
A shutter actuated by means other than mechanical springs for timings on the order of nanoseconds. The shutter is used in...
single molecule localization microscopy
Single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) is a group of super-resolution microscopy techniques that surpass the...
pyroelectric infrared detector
Unlike the thermocouple or bolometer, the pyroelectric infrared detector is a current source with an output proportional to...
infrared detector
An infrared detector is a device that is used to detect and measure infrared radiation, which lies beyond the visible...
Camera Link HS
Camera Link HS (high speed) is a standard developed for high-speed digital data transmission in machine vision and...
neodymium:YAG
Literally, neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet. A cylindrical rod of yttrium-aluminum-garnet doped with neodymium that is the...
optical noise
Optical noise refers to undesirable fluctuations or disturbances in an optical signal that can affect the quality or...
mandrel
A shaft, spindle or any object generally passed through a workpiece to hold, support or shape a particular piece during its...
instrument myopia
The tendency to adjust an instrument such as a microscope so that the viewed image appears much closer than infinity.
scanning speed
The picture area scanned per second.
bulk acoustic wave
A sound wave that travels through a piezoelectric material.
thresholding
The process of defining a specific intensity level for determining which of two values will be assigned to each pixel in...
power density
In laser welding or heat treating, the instantaneous laser beam power per unit area. This parameter is key in determining...
stereoscopic distortion
An exaggerated depth appearance in stereo photographs caused by the lenses in the camera being farther apart than the eyes...
optical component
One or more optical elements – typically cemented together - in an optical system that are treated as a single group;...
crystal diamagnetism
The unusual and anisotropic diamagnetic quality observed in particular crystals such as those composed of bismuth.
presbyopia
A state in which the human eye has very little or no power of accommodation. A common and normal condition in the eyes of...
microstereoscope
A binocular microscope designed for the viewing of stereo pairs. As these stereoscopic image pairs are seen through a...
crystal optics
The study of the transmission of radiant energy through crystals, especially anisotropic crystals, and their effects on...
optical coatings
Optical coatings are thin layers of materials applied to optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, filters, and prisms,...
umbilical
A connection, typically made up of one or more cables, between a laser head and a separate power supply. Flexible pipes or...
interferometric modulator display
Interferometric modulator display (IMOD) is a type of display technology used in electronic devices, known for its energy...
macrophotography
the photography of very close, and typically small objects with a magnification of approximately 1:1
laser texturing
Laser texturing is a manufacturing process that involves using a laser beam to selectively modify the surface of a material,...
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...
qubit
A qubit, short for quantum bit, is the fundamental unit of information in quantum computing and quantum information...
thermal interface materials
Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are substances or compounds used to enhance the thermal conductivity between two surfaces...
parfocal eyepiece
One eyepiece of a set having equal distances from their mounting interface to their image plane, permitting freedom to...
active-matrix liquid crystal display
When applied to LCD grids, the active matrix is a means of supplying power to pixels by use of a transistor and capacitor....
histology
Histology is the branch of biology and medicine that involves the study of the microscopic structure of tissues and organs...
convergence
1. In optics, the bending of light rays toward each other, as by a convex or positive lens. 2. Turning in the eyes to view a...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
diplopia
A defect of vision where a single object appears as two. Also known as double vision.
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...
televise
To transform a picture or image field into a television signal for transmission.
laser
A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...
coincidence rangefinder
An optical instrument used to determine the distance to a target being viewed. Two similar optical systems view the target...
digital densitometry
Pictorial information processing in which the processed picture shows a family of equidensity lines or bands coded with...
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...
x-ray microprobe analysis
The method of acquiring characteristic x-ray spectra from microscopic samples by use of the combination of a scanning...
epitaxial deposition
Epitaxial deposition is a process used in semiconductor manufacturing and materials science to grow a thin crystalline...
scatterometry
A measurement technique used for the rapid quantitative evaluation of surface quality based on the detection and analysis of...
jig
A device to hold and locate a workpiece as it guides, controls or limits a cutting tool.
window
1. A piece of glass with plane parallel surfaces used to admit light into an optical system and to exclude dirt and...
electron
A charged elementary particle of an atom; the term is most commonly used in reference to the negatively charged particle...
high contrast
A term used to describe a photograph, film or television picture where the values for black and white areas are at or near...
pyrolysis
A process that employs heat to remove polyimide plastic coatings from silica optical fibers and capillary tubing.
electrostatic process
A process used in document copying and printing that involves the visible rendering of an invisible electrostatic image on a...
attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy
Attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy is a technique used in analytical chemistry to obtain IR spectra of samples....
neuromorphic
Neuromorphic refers to the design and development of computing systems or devices that are inspired by the structure and...
atomic absorption spectrometer
An atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) is an analytical instrument used to determine the concentration of specific chemical...
stacked optical memory
A memory system composed of a stack of holographic plates, a mode-locked laser and a rapid detector array. Ultrashort laser...
photonics contract manufacturing
Photonics contract manufacturing refers to the outsourcing of the production of photonics-related components, devices, or...
piezoelectric axis
With respect to a crystal, one of the paths or axes that will exhibit a piezoelectric charge when subject to tension or...
photorefractive keratectomy
A surgical procedure for correcting vision by reshaping the outer surface of the cornea through the use of a laser system.
masking
In image processing, the assigning of certain portions (or pixels) of an image a constant value of either 0 (black) or 1...
telecentric lens
There are three types of telecentric lenses: -Image-space telecentric lenses are those in which the aperture stop is...
micro-robotics
Micro-robotics refers to the field of robotics that involves the design, development, and application of miniature robotic...
telescope exit pupil
The image of the aperture stop, usually the objective lens, that is produced by the eye lens. When the exit pupil of the...
Nernst glower
A Nernst glower, also known simply as a Nernst lamp or Nernst filament, is a type of incandescent lamp or radiant heater...
spectrum light source
A lamp that yields a nonluminous flame; used in the spectroscopic analysis of radiation emitted by a substance placed in the...
object space
In an optical system, the space between the object being viewed and the system entrance pupil.
molecular motor
A molecular motor refers to a nano-sized device composed of organic molecules or other small-scale components that can...
fiber-coupled photoconductive antenna
A fiber-coupled photoconductive antenna (FCPA) is a type of optoelectronic device that combines a photoconductive antenna...
optical design and engineering services
Optical design and engineering services involve the development, customization, and optimization of optical systems and...
diode-pumped solid-state laser
A diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) is a type of laser system that uses semiconductor diode lasers to pump energy into...
quantum well
A quantum well is a structure in quantum mechanics that confines particles, such as electrons or holes, in one spatial...
eyepiece micrometer
 photolithography
Photolithography is a key process in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and...
vacuum chamber
A vacuum chamber is a sealed enclosure from which air and other gases are removed to create a low-pressure environment,...
pixel binning
Pixel binning, also known as pixel merging or pixel combining, is a technique used in digital imaging and camera technology....
metallographic polishing machine
A small optical polishing machine intended for polishing the surface of a metal specimen before etching for examination...
autofluorescence
Autofluorescence refers to the natural emission of fluorescence exhibited by certain biological structures or molecules when...
magnetic lens
An arranged series of coils, magnets or electromagnets disposed in such a way that the resulting magnetic fields generate a...
poling
The process of aligning the crystallites in a piezoelectric material by placing a large DC field across the element at an...
negative-refraction metamaterial
An artificial material, engineered to have a negative refractive index value, such that light or any other form of...
spatial light modulator
A spatial light modulator (SLM) is an optical device that modulates or manipulates the amplitude, phase, or polarization of...
density matrix formulation
The exact mathematical description of the interactions of matter and intense electromagnetic fields, such as those that...
stereoscopic radius
The maximum distance at which the stereoscopic effect may be observed. With respect to the unaided human eye, it has been...
electron multiplication charge-coupled device camera
An EMCCD (electron-multiplying charge-coupled device) camera is a type of scientific camera specifically designed for...
lithium niobate
A crystalline ferroelectric material used primarily as a substrate and an active medium for thin-film optical modulators and...
photopumping
The use of light to initiate the lasing process. See optical pumping.
micro-LED
Micro-LED (micro-light-emitting diode) refers to a technology that involves the use of very small light-emitting diodes to...
binocular
Designating any instrument in which both eyes can be used to view the image to achieve a stereoscopic effect, or merely to...
piecewise interferometry
An interferometric technique for the generation of precision gratings that allows for sequential exposure of small segments...
medical lasers
Medical lasers are devices that produce intense beams of light with specific characteristics and properties, which are used...
Bertrand lens
A small convergent lens, located between the objective and eyepiece of a microscope, that focuses an image of the upper...
optical table
An optical table, also known as an optical bench or an optical breadboard, is a specialized platform used in optics...
homeotropic orientation
The perpendicular orientation of the molecular axes of the nematic molecules in a nematic crystal, relative to the electrode...
spinthariscope
A device through which scintillations are observed or counted through a magnifying lens system.
prism
A prism is a geometric optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. It is typically a solid, transparent...
fluorescence lifetime imaging
Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) is an advanced imaging technique that provides information about the lifetime of...
liquid crystal on silicon
Liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) is a display technology that combines liquid crystal materials with silicon-based...
quantum dot light-emitting diode
Quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) is a display technology that utilizes quantum dots, which are semiconductor...
contention rate
The maximum number of users who are using a given communication channel. Typically, the number of users at any given time is...
photomask
A photomask, also known simply as a mask or reticle, is a key component in the photolithography process used in...
dichroic coating
A dichroic coating, also known as a dichroic filter or dichroic mirror, is an optical coating designed to selectively...
mask
1. A framelike structure that serves to restrict the viewing area of the screen when placed before a television picture...
video amplifier
A wideband amplifier used to process video or picture information.
equidensities
1. A contour map of a photographic deposit consisting of lines and curves that join points of equal density. 2. The...
analytical photography
The use of photographs -- motion picture or still -- to establish if a particular event exists.
spike filter
A multilayer filter that passes only a narrow band of wavelengths.
piezoelectric transducers and ceramic materials
Piezoelectric transducers are devices that utilize the piezoelectric effect to convert electrical energy into mechanical...
holography
Holography is a technique used to capture and reconstruct three-dimensional images using the principles of interference and...
liquid mirror
A mirror composed of liquid, taking advantage of the parabolic shape of a spinning liquid and the fact that the mirror's...
carrier injection
Carrier injection refers to the process of introducing charge carriers (either electrons or holes) into a semiconductor...
astronomical mirror
An astronomical mirror, also known as a telescope mirror or primary mirror, is a key component of a reflecting telescope. It...
motion controller
In optics, a motion controller refers to a device or system that precisely controls the movement of optical components, such...
pigtail
A short length of optical fiber permanently fixed to a component and used to couple power between it and the transmission...
ray tracing
Ray tracing is a rendering technique used in computer graphics to simulate the way light interacts with objects in a scene....
fractional photothermolysis
A laser skin-resurfacing method that creates microscopic thermal wounds referred to as microscopic treatment zones (MTZs),...
blink comparator
An optical system that rapidly alternates two similar pictures or scenes to permit the detection of small dissimilarities...
median filtering
In image processing, a method of local smoothing by replacing each pixel with the median gray level of neighboring pixels.
substrate
A substrate refers to a material or surface upon which another material or process is applied or deposited. In various...
quantum cascade laser
A quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics....
lidar
Lidar, short for light detection and ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses laser light to measure distances and...
BCS theory
Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of superconductivity, based on the notion that electrons with opposite momentum and spin...
3D laser line profile sensor
A 3D profile sensor, also known as a 3D profiling sensor or 3D depth sensor, is a technology that is used to capture and...
microcomb
A microcomb, short for microresonator frequency comb, is a novel photonic device that generates a precise series of evenly...
lead zirconate titanate
A ferroelectric polycrystalline ceramic material used in optical memories for computers and as a piezoelectric transducer.
lensometer
An ophthalmic instrument used to measure the magnitude and direction of the maximum and minimum powers of a spectacle lens,...
plastic optics
Plastic optics refers to optical components or systems that are made from transparent plastic materials, as opposed to...
photonic integrated circuit
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a compact and integrated device that incorporates multiple photonic components and...
custom lapping and polishing services
Custom lapping and polishing services involve specialized processes used to improve the surface finish and dimensional...
double-meniscus lens
See periscopic lens; rapid rectilinear lens.
underwater television system
A television system designed to obtain pictures of objects or scenes beneath the surface of the water. Generally, a...
frame rate
Frame rate refers to the frequency at which consecutive images, or frames, are displayed in a video sequence. It is...
Harting Dove prism
A direct-vision prism made in one piece that can be used only in parallel light.
isolator
In the context of electronics and optics, an isolator refers to a device that allows the transmission of signals in one...
facsimile
The reproduction of a picture or image, produced by scanning the image and converting it into electrical signals that carry...
InGaAs photodiode
An InGaAs photodiode refers to a photodetector device that is constructed using a semiconductor material composed of a...
optical manufacturing tools and machinery
Optical manufacturing tools and machinery encompass a wide range of equipment, instruments, and systems used in the...
principal ray
The ray of an oblique pencil beam that passes through the center of the pupils. It is the effective axis of the oblique...
thin-film deposition equipment
Thin-film deposition equipment refers to machinery and tools used in the process of depositing thin layers of material onto...
GRIN lens
A GRIN (gradient index) lens is a type of optical lens that utilizes a gradient in refractive index across its volume rather...
perimetry
The analysis of retinal zones in which different hues can be detected. Also called campimetry.
protective bevel
The removal of a sharp edge on an optical element by grinding, to prevent accidental chipping of that edge during subsequent...
Photoelastic equipment and supplies
Photoelastic equipment and supplies refer to instruments and materials used in photoelasticity, a technique used to analyze...
laser rangefinder
A laser rangefinder is a device that uses laser technology to measure the distance between the device and a target. It...
endoscope
An endoscope is a medical device used for visualizing and examining the interior of hollow organs, body cavities, or...
photon sieve
A photon sieve is an optical device used in the field of optics and imaging. It's designed to focus and shape light,...
photodynamic inactivation
Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a therapeutic approach that utilizes the combination of light, a photosensitizer, and...
hybrid focal plane array
A device where each pixel in the detector array is mated with a preamplifier on a single silicon chip, providing sensing and...
photomultiplier tube
A photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a highly sensitive vacuum tube that detects and amplifies low levels of light. It is widely...
fiber optics
The use of thin flexible glass or plastic fibers as wave guides — or "light pipes" — to channel light from one...
RTSP protocol
RTSP, or real-time streaming protocol, is a network control protocol designed for controlling streaming media servers. It is...
photodiode
A two-electrode, radiation-sensitive junction formed in a semiconductor material in which the reverse current varies with...
interferometer
An instrument that employs the interference of lightwaves to measure the accuracy of optical surfaces; it can measure a...
phase shifting
A technique used to generate a phase shift between reference and sample light beams. The phase shift can be performed...
radiophotography
The transmission of photographic images or pictures by radio waves.
light pipe
Transparent matter that usually is drawn into a cylindrical, pyramidical or conical shape through which light is channeled...
reflective
The term reflective is an adjective that describes the ability of a surface or material to reflect light or other forms of...
stabilized light source
A light source that does not fluctuate despite temperature changes.
bandgap
In semiconductor physics, the term bandgap refers to the energy range in a material where no electronic states are allowed....
gram negative
Gram-negative bacteria are a group of bacteria that possess a cell envelope composed of a thin layer of peptidoglycan...
measuring eyepiece
Also known as an eyepiece micrometer. A microscope eyepiece that has a finely divided scale ruled or photographed on a...
diopter scale
A scale located on the eyepiece focusing screw and used to measure the amount of defocusing of the eyepiece in diopters. The...
Billet's split lens
An experimental lens used to produce interference fringes. A positive lens is cut into halves along its center, and the...
Zernike's phase contrast method
The introduction of a filter into an imaging system to implement a phase contrast for an intensity mapping of a pure phase...
finderscope
A low-power telescope with a wide field of view, typically attached to a higher power telescope with a narrower field of...
ferroelectric materials
Ferroelectric materials are a type of dielectric materials that exhibit spontaneous electric polarization, meaning they...
alexandrite lasers
An alexandrite laser is a solid-state laser that utilizes a synthetic crystal made from the rare earth element alexandrite...
disc colorimeter
A colorimeter using a spinning disc made of different colored sections for colorimetric analysis.
Newtonian telescope
A telescope with a concave paraboloidal objective mirror and a small plane (diagonal) mirror that reflects rays from the...
MEMS fiber optic switch
A MEMS fiber optic switch is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device designed to selectively route optical signals...
nanophotonics
Nanophotonics is a branch of science and technology that explores the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, typically at...
microwave mapping
The pattern of microwave field intensity that can be obtained by detecting the minute expansion of a microwave absorber slab...
electron-gun system
An electron-gun system is an assembly used to generate and control a focused beam of electrons. Electron guns find...
fiber optic preform
A fiber optic preform is a cylindrical glass rod or tube used as the starting material for manufacturing optical fibers. It...
structural color
Structural color refers to coloration in materials that is not caused by pigments or dyes but is instead a result of the...
micro-optical coherence tomography
Micro-optical coherence tomography (micro-OCT) is an imaging technique that is an adaptation of optical coherence tomography...
flasher
A device that is designed to automatically turn electric lamps on and off in a rapidly repeating sequence. The device may...
bit mapping
In computer graphics, the assignment of each pixel on a display screen to its own switch in the computer memory.
campimetry
 Greenough microscope
A form of a stereoscopic microscope having paired objectives, prisms and eyepieces, and invented by H. Greenough.
error function
A single number, defined by the computer program or the user that expresses the performance of an optical system. Also known...
excited-state absorption
In laser pumping, parasitic absorption that occurs at certain wavelengths, decreasing pump efficiency and gain.
dropping
The process whereby a blank or disc is heated to a sufficiently high temperature to sag into a mold having a desired...
stop-motion camera
A motion-picture camera that can be advanced one frame at a time, either randomly or at set intervals. Used in animation and...
pel
Contraction of "picture element." See pixel.
cine camera
A camera capable of making successive exposures on a continuous film driven by accurately spaced sprocket holes (a motion...
Laue pattern
The photographic record of the diffracted beams formed when heterogeneous x-rays emerging from a pinhole or slit impinge...
Cooper pairs
The coupled pairs of electrons that carry supercurrents through the body of a superconductor, relative to a coherent...
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...
vesicular image
An image with variations in density due to the differential scattering ability of microscopic bubbles in a transparent layer.
flexible display
A flexible display refers to a type of electronic visual display that is designed to be bendable, foldable, or rollable,...
circular dichroism
Circular dichroism (CD) is a spectroscopic technique used to study the structural characteristics of chiral (asymmetric)...
light sheet fluorescence microscopy
Also known as single plane illumination microscopy (SPIM), this process was designed for imaging of sensitive samples and...
generating
A rapid roughing process for the quick removal of glass, the first step in manufacture of a curved lens surface. It is...
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...
erythema
Localized redness of skin due to congestion of capillaries; a common result of overexposure to laser radiation.
flicker noise
Any noise with a power spectral density that is the inverse of the signal's frequency and is therefore most significant for...
low-pass filter
In digital image processing, a method of convolution that reduces random noise by replacing the value of each pixel with the...
plasma noise
Introduced into the laser beam from localized fluctuations in current density within the plasma itself. These fluctuations...
stereoscopic television
A television system in which the images produced appear three-dimensional.
image orthicon
A camera tube widely used in television broadcasting. It consists of three sections within a single vacuum envelope. 1. A...
knife-edge scanning microscope
An imaging device originally created to image whole mouse brain volumes at microscopic resolution. The main component of the...
laser diode module
A laser diode module is a compact device that incorporates a laser diode, optics, and often other components into a single...
CMOS camera
A CMOS camera refers to an imaging device that employs a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor to...
passive-matrix OLED display
An OLED display formed by creating an array of OLED pixels connected by intersecting anode and cathode conductors arranged...
laser welder
A system that uses the heat from a pulsed laser to weld metals. Because of the rapidity and localization in which the...
telescopic sight
 optical camouflage
The use of retroreflective projection technology (RPT) to project a background image onto a masked object, such as a vehicle...
piezo worm
A piezoelectric translator that moves up and down a spindle like a caterpillar. It clamps itself at one end, expands, clamps...
chronophotograph
The continuous record containing the series of pictures formed by chronophotographic methods.
picture tube
A term referring to the cathode-ray tube used in television receivers.
cyclotron resonance
The tendency of charge carriers to spiral about an axis in a direction identical to that of an applied magnetic field that...
clipping
A defect in an optical system that prevents rays from reaching their intended destination; it can be caused by an undersized...
image enhancement laser
A semiconductor platelet laser that emits a coherent image by means of plane optical pumping over the platelet surface, and...
electrocapillarity modulator
A type of optical modulator with potential application in optical switching and displays, in which applied voltage causes a...
colorant
A substance such as a dye or pigment that is used to alter the color of light.
photon coupling
The coupling of two circuits by the use of a light pipe through which photons are transmitted.
chromophore
A naturally occurring pigment in tissue that may selectively absorb certain wavelengths and can be used to aid in targeting...
near-field region
The area closest to an aperture or source where the diffraction pattern differs substantially from that observed at an...
convolutional neural network
A powerful and flexible machine-learning approach that can be used in machine vision to help solve difficult problems....
matrix
With respect to television, that part of a color television circuit that combines the I, Q and Y signals, and changes them...
Stirling engine
An engine in which work is performed by the expansion of a gas at high temperature; heat for the expansion is supplied...
long-wave infrared
Long-wave infrared (LWIR) refers to a specific range of the infrared spectrum. Infrared radiation is divided into three main...
liquid-phase epitaxy
exit pupil
In a lens or other optical system, the image of the aperture stop as seen from image space.
cross wire
Fine lines, wires or threads used in the focal plane of many optical instruments to point out and locate particular objects...
Förster resonance energy transfer
Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a mechanism describing the transfer of energy between two closely spaced...
microlens array
A microlens array is a grid-like structure composed of numerous small lenses, typically arranged in a regular pattern. Each...
fluorographic camera
A camera with a very high aperture lens or mirror system for photographing x-ray fluorescent screen images, mainly to save...
diopter movement
The adjustment of the eyepiece of an instrument to provide accommodation for the eyesight differences of individual...
infrared optic
Infrared optics refer to optical components and systems designed to manipulate and control infrared (IR) light, which lies...
transducer
A transducer is a device or component that converts one form of energy into another. It is commonly used in various fields,...
Erfle eyepiece
A telescopic eyepiece comprising five or six simple lenses in the form of three doublets or two doublets and a singlet.
Huygenian eyepiece
An ocular having two planoconvex lenses that are formed from similar glass and that are separated by a space equal to half...
macroscopic
Sizable enough to be perceived by the unaided eye.
ospin
Opsins are a group of light-sensitive proteins found primarily in the retinas of vertebrate and invertebrate eyes, as well...
resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance, which is a phenomenon that occurs when an external force or...
quantum entanglement
Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where two or more particles become correlated to such an extent...
holmium laser
Holmium lasers are a type of medical laser that utilizes holmium-doped crystals as the gain medium. The term holmium laser...
freeform mirrors
Freeform mirrors refer to reflective optical components that deviate from traditional symmetric or rotationally symmetric...
epitaxy
A well controlled thin films technique for growing films with good crystal structure in ultra high vacuum environments at...
metamaterial
Metamaterials are artificial materials engineered to have properties not found in naturally occurring substances. These...
photoimmunotherapy
Photoimmunotherapy (PIT) is a medical treatment approach that combines elements of phototherapy and immunotherapy to target...
spectrogrammetric reading equipment
Spectra can be conveniently recorded on photographic film or plates. The portions that are occupied by regions of the...
ophthalmic photography
The methods and techniques used to obtain medical photographs of the human eye. To photograph the exterior of the eye,...
near-field scanning optical microscope
A scanning probe microscope that analyzes the surface of a specimen by recording the intensity of light as it is focused...
plastic optical fiber
Plastic optical fiber (POF) is a type of optical fiber made from transparent plastic, typically polymethylmethacrylate...
linear image sensor
A linear image sensor is a type of solid-state electronic device used to capture and convert light into electrical signals....
flat blank
A piece of glass having a crude plano surface on each side.
temperature-sensitive coating
A coating having pigments that change color when exposed to heat. This effect has been widely used to monitor hot spots in...
optofluidics
Optofluidics is an interdisciplinary field that combines principles from optics and fluidics to create devices and systems...
optical assembly
An optical assembly refers to a collection of optical components that are carefully arranged and aligned to perform a...
parallel processing
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...
scotopic vision
Vision by means of retinal rods; vision of the dark-adapted eye. In scotopic vision, the level of luminance is so low that...
photoelectric effect
The emission of an electron from a surface that occurs when a photon impinges upon the surface and is absorbed. This effect...
objective
The optical element that receives light from the object and forms the first or primary image in telescopes and microscopes....
aplanatic surface
An aplanatic surface is an optical surface that is specifically designed or shaped to minimize spherical aberration and...
automated optical inspection
Automated optical inspection (AOI) is a technology used in manufacturing processes, particularly in electronics, to...
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...
Lyot stop
A physical stop that is conjugate to the entrance pupil and is used primarily to reduce diffraction effects at longer...
photoluminescence mapping
A technique used for noncontact inspection of semiconductor wafers. The material is illuminated by an excitation source that...
scientific CMOS camera
A scientific CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) camera is a type of digital camera specifically designed for...
television signal
The combination of the audio and visual signals that are transmitted and received at the same time, correlating the scene...
near-infrared camera
A near-infrared (NIR) camera is an imaging device designed to capture images in the near-infrared region of the...
microphotograph
A photograph reduced to the microscopic scale and stored on a microfilm as seen with microfiches for the purpose of storing...
thin-film coating
Thin-film coatings are layers of material applied to the surface of an object or substrate, typically to modify its optical,...
microradian
Equivalent to 10-6 radian, where 1 radian equals 180/pi degrees. A rod 1 km in length will be moved by an angle of 1...
corneal shaping
The mechanical modification of the shape of the cornea to correct a vision defect.
flowmeter
A flowmeter is a device used to measure the flow rate or quantity of a fluid passing through a particular point in a system....
depth of field
The distance, on either side of the object plane focused on, through which satisfactory image definition can be obtained....
electron filter lens
An electrostatic device that uses an electric potential barrier to allow the transmittance of electrons at or above a set...
bakeout
The elimination of gases from the surfaces of a vacuum system by heating the surfaces when the pumping phase is occurring.
globulite
A crystal of microscopic size having no definite plane faces and having a globular shape. At the time the crystal is formed,...
nanopositioning
Nanopositioning refers to the precise and controlled movement or manipulation of objects or components at the nanometer...
electronic windowing
In target tracking, a technique for speeding up the image processing by removing bunches of pixels that are outside the area...
image contrast
Also referred to as image visibility, the contrast of an image is the variation in the intensity of an image formed by an...
point light source
1. With respect to angular subtense, a source of light, such as a star, that is very small. In a lab, a point source may be...
laser velocimeter
A system that uses a continuous-wave laser to measure the velocity of an object by focusing the laser beam on the object,...
microscope eyepiece
An eyepiece located at the near end of the microscope tube. It often is a simple Huygens eyepiece, but compensating and...
relative aperture
The ratio of the diameter of the entrance pupil in an optical system to the equivalent focal length of that system. The...
diamond turning
Diamond turning, also known as diamond machining or diamond cutting, is a precision machining process used to produce...
STED microscopy
STED microscopy, or stimulated emission depletion microscopy, is a superresolution imaging technique in fluorescence...
convolution kernel
The group of adjacent pixels on which the convolution process is carried out.
photopic vision
Vision by means of retinal cones; color vision. Relatively high levels of luminance are required for photopic vision.
lay length
In a fiber optic cable, the longitudinal length required for the transmission media, wrapped around a central member, to...
full-well capacity
The number of electrons that each pixel of a charge-coupled device can hold without overflowing and causing blooming.
beam profiler
A device that measures the spatial distribution of energy perpendicular to the propagation path of a radiant beam. An energy...
step-and-repeat camera
A type of camera that has scales or other arrangements by which successive exposures can be lined up and equally spaced on a...
pseudohologram
Coded image obtained optically with a nonredundant pinhole array imaging aperture.
epidiascope
A device for projecting either opaque matter or transparent slides onto a screen.
fiberscope
An optical instrument consisting of an objective lens, a coherent (usually flexible) fiber bundle and an eyepiece to examine...
aspect ratio
With respect to pictorial displays, the ratio of the width to the height. The television standard in the US is 4:3....
rapid access system
A photographic camera and processing system used to form a usable record of the subject in a short time, usually a few...
ring blocking
The formation of a block by attaching optical elements to a plate with a ring of pitch or other thermoplastic material.
holographic camera
A holographic camera, also known as a holographic imaging system or holographic recorder, is a specialized device used to...
broadband dielectric mirrors
Broadband dielectric mirrors, also known as broadband mirrors, are optical coatings designed to efficiently reflect or...
polarization-insensitive operation
Capability requirement for optical switches for transmission lines to process arbitrarily polarized light because of the...
multispectral imaging
Multispectral imaging is a technique that involves capturing and analyzing images at multiple discrete spectral bands within...
charge trapping
In a charge-coupled device, the disappearance of some of the accumulated charge into the silicon during readout.
sputtering equipment
Sputtering equipment is machinery used in the process of physical vapor deposition (PVD), specifically sputtering....
optical bench
A support for optical parts comprising a solid bed that permits precise longitudinal movement of one component relative to...
internal standard
A material that is present or added to a sample undergoing spectroscopic analysis, to serve as an intensity reference for...
coincidence prism
A compound prism consisting of an assembly of small prisms cemented together that is used in a coincidence rangefinder to...
Risley prism
A Risley prism, also known as a Risley prism pair or Risley rotating prism, is an optical device used for controlling the...
spectroscopic light source
A discharge tube filled with various gases and used as a source in spectroscopy.
breakout cable
A breakout cable, also known as a fan-out cable or breakout assembly, is a type of cable that combines multiple individual...
scanning tunneling microscope
A high-resolution imaging instrument that can detect and measure the positions of individual atoms on the surface of a...
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...
adsorption indicator
A chemical placed in a solution that will indicate when an excess of a substance or ion has been reached by coloring the...
stepper motor
A positioning drive that rotates a fraction of a 360° turn when the motor coils are activated, resulting in linear or...
terahertz radiation
Electromagnetic radiation with frequencies between 300 GHz and 10 THz, and existing between regions of the electromagnetic...
diffuse reflectance spectroscopy
Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is a nondestructive analytical technique used to investigate the optical properties...
Pockels cell
A Pockels cell, also known as an electro-optic modulator, is an optical device used to control the polarization of light by...
pupil
1. In the eye, the opening in the iris that permits light to pass and be focused on the retina. 2. In a lens, the image of...
harmonic generation
Harmonic generation refers to a nonlinear optical process in which incoming photons interact with a material and produce new...
high harmonic generation
High harmonic generation (HHG) refers to a nonlinear optical process in which intense laser light interacts with a gaseous...
Kerr soliton
A Kerr soliton refers to a specific type of soliton, a self-reinforcing wave packet, that arises in nonlinear optical...
laser pointer
Handheld optical laser device containing a semiconductor or DPSS source. The output is corrected via internal collimating...
periscopic lens
Two simple meniscus lenses arranged symmetrically on either side of the aperture stop, providing reduced coma, lateral color...
major
A blank to which a piece of glass of a different refractive index will be fused to form a multifocal lens.
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...
eye lens
The lens of an eyepiece nearest the observer's eye.
fluoroscopic image intensifier
A form of image intensifier designed to amplify a weak fluoroscopic image. The image is received at an input phosphor...
anamorphoscope
A cylindrical convex viewing mirror used for viewing distorted pictures formed by photographing the reflections of the...
color center
A color center, in the context of materials science and condensed matter physics, refers to a specific type of...
soft mold blocking
Blocking by means of a pitch ring, pitch button or a totally pitched block. Pitch, containing a soft filter, may be used...
image dissector tube
An electron tube that is used as a camera tube for a television system. When the picture to be transmitted is focused on a...
optical comparator
Typically used for the examination of manufactured or engineered parts, an optical gauging device, in which a backlight is...
mirror mount
A mirror mount is a mechanical device used to secure and precisely position mirrors in optical systems. Mirrors are...
goniometer eyepiece
An eyepiece having a rotating index or cross wire linked to an external 360° scale to allow measuring of angles in an...
motion picture camera
A camera equipped with a lens and a long length of perforated film, the latter being moved intermittently between exposures...
laser pattern generation
Production of a repeated image of a transmitted beam through a diffractive optical element such as a holographic card or...
optical pumping
The process whereby the number of atoms or atomic systems in a set of energy levels is changed by the absorption of light...
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...
MTF optimization
Computerized lens design algorithm that permits the lens MTF characteristic to be included and controlled during the...
oscillograph
An instrument used to record rapidly varying currents or voltages. An oscillograph may consist of a cathode-ray tube...
magnetically focused image tube
A vacuum tube in which a magnetic field is superimposed onto the tube's electrical field. When the two fields are aligned,...
photoplethysmography
Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a non-invasive optical technique used to detect changes in blood volume in tissues. It...
array processor
In image processing, a specially designed programmable computer peripheral that attaches to the host system for the purpose...
bracketing
In photography, the technique of taking multiple pictures of the same subject at different exposures to compensate for...
ion laser
A laser in which the transition involved in stimulated emission of radiation takes place between two levels of an ionized...
lens
A lens is a transparent optical device that focuses or diverges light, allowing it to pass through and form an image. Lenses...
diverging lens
A diverging lens is a type of lens that causes parallel rays of light to spread out or diverge. It is thinner in the center...
cold atom
Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to...
narrow-angle dark-field illumination
An imaging system designed to highlight small deviations in a planar reflective object such as a mirror. The system can be...
optoacoustic
Optoacoustic, or photoacoustic, refers to a phenomenon and related techniques that involve the generation of acoustic waves...
binocular microscope
A microscope designed with two eyepieces (oculars), permitting the use of both eyes when viewing through the instrument.
Lorentz oscillator model
The Lorentz oscillator model is a theoretical model used in physics to describe the response of a charged particle (such as...
camera reduction
The use of the photographic process to produce precision copies of an original image that are many times smaller in size....
null process
Commonly performed in spectroscopy, the optical null process is a method for radiation detection whereby physical detectors...
turret
A rotating plate containing two or more lenses to provide a rapid interchange.
mean solar time
One of two types of solar time - the other being apparent solar time - the mean solar time is the time measured by the...
optical testing instrument
An optical testing instrument is a device or system used to evaluate and measure the performance, quality, and...
field emission microscope
An image-forming instrument in which a strong electrostatic field causes cold emission of electrons from a sharply rounded...
scanner
1. A device used to trace out an object and build up an image. One of the most common of these types is video scanning. The...
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...
laser ablation
Laser ablation is a process that involves the removal or erosion of material from a target surface using laser energy. This...
laser active elements
Laser active elements typically refers to the substances or materials within a laser system that play a critical role in the...
optical trapping
 nitrogen vacancy
A nitrogen vacancy (NV) refers to a specific type of defect or impurity in a crystal lattice where a nitrogen atom replaces...
biprism
A piece of glass polished flat on one side, with a pair of polished faces that form an angle close to 180° on the other...
optical figure
The amount by which an optical surface deviates from its ideal design value, expressed in wavelengths of light. Optical...
stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy
Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) is a superresolution microscopy technique that enables imaging of...
video graphics array
A display standard no longer in use and originally defined for IBM PCs, with 640 3 480 pixels in 16 colors and a 4:3 aspect...
ultrasonic camera
A device that uses a piezoelectric crystal to convert ultrasonic sound waves, transmitted through a subject, into a voltage...
image comparison
A method used in imaging to detect subtle differences between two apparently similar pictures. It can be achieved by...
cathode radiant sensitivity
Cathode radiant sensitivity refers to the ability of a photocathode to convert incident radiant energy, typically in the...
calcium indicator
A calcium indicator is a molecule that is sensitive to changes in calcium ion (Ca2+) concentrations in biological systems....
ellipsometry
Ellipsometry is an optical technique used to characterize the properties of thin films and surfaces. It is based on the...
free-abrasive machining
The process whereby a rotating wheel carries grains of an abrasive, suspended in a vehicle, across the surface of the...
ultrashort-pulse laser
A laser capable of generating light pulses that last only a few femtoseconds. This can be achieved by nonlinear filtering to...
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...
bevel
A chamfer ground on the edge of a lens or prism. Bevels are used to prevent chipping or to achieve a mechanical fit.
aperture imaging
The formation of an image by a pinhole aperture that transmits radiation, such as gamma radiation.
nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
That branch of spectroscopy that applies to the study of interactions between energy and atomic nuclei. The simultaneous...
interpupillary distance
The separation between the exit pupils of a binocular instrument. This usually is adjustable so that it can be set equal to...
hygroscopic
In fiber optics, a material whose properties, usually of transmission, are distinctly affected by the absorption of water...
optical Fourier transform
The optical Fourier transform is a mathematical operation applied to optical signals that involves transforming a spatial...
mode-locked lasers
Mode-locking is a technique used in lasers to produce ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of picoseconds,...
hyperplane eyepiece
An eyepiece similar to the Huygenian eyepiece, but having an eye lens that is a cemented doublet and that provides more...
epitaxial
Epitaxial refers to the growth of a crystalline layer on a crystalline substrate in such a way that the orientation of the...
image
In optics, an image is the reconstruction of light rays from a source or object when light from that source or object is...
infrared light source
An infrared light source is a device that emits light in the infrared spectrum, which lies beyond the visible spectrum of...
germanium crystal
Germanium crystal refers to a crystalline form of the element germanium (Ge), which is a metalloid and semiconductor...
polariton
A polariton is a quasiparticle resulting from the strong coupling between photons (light particles) and certain types of...
pit
The micrometer-size depressions that store data digitally in an optical data storage medium.
hyperspectral resolution
Hyperspectral resolution refers to the level of detail or granularity in the spectral information captured by a...
visually coupled airborne systems simulator
A visual system including a tiny television tube and imaging optics, all contained in a helmet to be worn by pilots in...
flow cytometry
Flow cytometry is a powerful technique used in biology and medicine for the quantitative analysis of the physical and...
heliostat
A device having a plane mirror so mounted that it can be set to reflect sunlight into a piece of laboratory equipment. It is...
single-photon avalanche diode
A single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) is a specialized type of photodetector designed to detect extremely weak optical...
rolling shutter artifacts
Rolling shutter artifacts are distortions or visual anomalies that can occur in images or videos captured by cameras with...
erecting eyepiece
An eyepiece combined with an erecting prism or lens system.
Ti:sapphire laser
A Ti:sapphire laser is a type of solid-state laser that utilizes a titanium-doped sapphire crystal as the gain medium. The...
microbending
In optical fiber, sharp but microscopic curvatures that create local axial displacements of a few microns and spatial...
advanced driver assistance systems
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) refers to a set of safety features and technologies designed to assist drivers in...
computer graphics
Computer output in the form of pictorial representation (graphs, charts, drawings, etc.) that is displayed visually.
machine vision system
A machine vision system is an integrated combination of hardware and software components designed to capture, process, and...
laser output
The laser output refers to the generated and emitted light produced by a laser system. This output is characterized by...
stereo compilation
Extraction of three-dimensional measurements from a stereo pair of photographs.
short-flash light source
An electronic flash tube in which the flash recurs at a frequency extending to many thousands per second. A stroboscopic...
integrated energy
Also known as integrated exposure. A measurement of light from sources that vary rapidly with time, defined as the integral...
Ronchi test
More efficient than the Foucault knife-edge test, this test examines curved mirrors by using a transmission grating with 40...
time-correlated single photon counting
Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) is a technique used in photon counting applications, particularly in the...
chalnicon
Proprietary name for a low-light-level TV pickup tube.
micrurgy
The use of a micromanipulator in combination with a microscope for the purposes of examining, dissecting, or the...
Nyquist criterion
In image acquisition (and sampling theory), the postulate that the pickup sampling frequency must be a minimum of twice as...
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...
laser marking
Laser marking is a process in which a laser beam is used to mark or engrave a surface by altering its properties or...
eye test apparatus
Instruments used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to study the eye. There are, for instance, the ophthalmoscope to...
frame
1. To center an image or place it in any part of the television screen desired. Also applies to stills. 2. A single image of...
four-level laser
A solid-state laser consisting of active atoms or ions of a transition metal, rare-earth metal or actinide, imbedded in a...
blob
A group of adjacent pixels in an image representing the same value, as all black in a binary image.
semifinished blank
A formed piece of glass, one surface of which has been ground and polished to the required curvatures.
microscopy
Microscopy is a scientific technique that involves the use of microscopes to observe and study objects that are too small to...
thermophotovoltaic
Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) refers to a technology that converts heat energy into electricity using the principles of...
panoramic camera
A camera designed to form a continuous record of an expansive section of the horizon. The typical panoramic camera is...
x-ray image intensifier
An image intensifier that consists of an evacuated tube with a large input phosphor screen at one end. The phosphor screen...
fiber Bragg grating
A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is a type of optical filter that is inscribed or "written" into the core of an optical fiber. It...
body
In the optical field, a piece of glass to which a lens or prism is cemented. The unit is ground and polished as a whole to...
plume
A mixture of ionized gas and metal vapor generated by impingement of the laser beam onto a material being welded or a weld...
tip-enhanced Raman scattering
Tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) is a powerful technique that combines Raman spectroscopy with the enhanced spatial...
time-to-amplitude converter
A time-to-amplitude converter (TAC) is an electronic circuit that converts a time interval between two events into an...
near-infrared spectroscopy
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive analytical technique that uses the near-infrared region of the...
mode hopping
Mode hopping in the context of lasers refers to a phenomenon where a laser system abruptly switches from one longitudinal...
electron-beam lithography system
An electron-beam lithography (EBL) system is a sophisticated nanofabrication tool used in the semiconductor industry and...
fluorometry
The analysis and measurement of the fluorescence emitted by a source. Fluorometric processes are more sensitive than light...
horizontal resolution
In television, the number of individual pixels that can be distinguished in a horizontal scanning line; also called...
stereoscopic photography
The photographing of a scene from positions corresponding to the locations of both eyes. A viewing device is used to present...
conjugate autofocus system
A system that determines whether an image is in or out of focus by means of a source of illumination at the conjugate focal...
stereoscopy
The array of methods used in the transmission and reception of pictures and images with a three-dimensional appearance.
microstereology
Microscopic investigation of two-dimensional areas of a three-dimensional object that can be quantitatively evaluated by...
apparent movement
The visual perception of motion when fixed stimuli are exposed in rapid temporal and spatial succession.
computer-generated hologram
A computer-generated hologram (CGH) is a holographic image produced using computational methods and algorithms, rather than...
emery
A natural abrasive, produced from corundum in grades ranging from rough to fine, used in the grinding and lapping of glass.
3D printing
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), is a manufacturing process that builds three-dimensional objects...
gray-scale modification
Image enhancement operations that involve altering gray-scale values. For instance, brightness sliding involves adding or...
effect filter
A color filter, generally used in photography, to emphasize certain color tones and to modify others in a picture for a more...
troland
That level of retinal illuminance resulting when a surface with a luminance of 1 candela/m2 is viewed through a pupil with...
dynamic spectroscopy
A spectroscopic technique used to display the intensity of an optical pulse as functions of time and frequency...
imagery rectification
Photogrammetric compensation for incidental camera movement (which prevents attainment of true vertical photographs) whereby...
pumping radiation
Radiation used to excite an optical or laser material to a higher energy level. See optical pumping.
artificial pupil
iris or adjustable radially symmetric opening used for allowing the passage of useful light
sequence camera
A type of motion-picture camera in which single frames are photographed either automatically at a predetermined rate (as...
frequency comb
A frequency comb is a precise and regular series of equally spaced spectral lines, or frequencies, that are generated with...
gas laser
One of the first lasers to find practical application. Generally, the pumping mechanism is an electric discharge, although...
Langmuir-Blodgett technique
A method of depositing crystalline films one molecular layer at a time, by dipping the substrate into water containing a...
oculometer
An electro-optical infrared tracker consisting of a beamsplitter, an illuminating source, an image dissector tube and an...
center of perspective
That viewpoint at which the angular subtenses of points in the picture are identical to angular subtenses of the original...
lattice
In photonics, a lattice refers to a periodic arrangement of optical elements or structures, often on a microscopic or...
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a laboratory technique used to detect and measure the presence of specific...
diascope
1. An optical device used for projection of enlarged images of transparencies or lantern slides on a screen. 2. A device...
picture element
 inverse piezoelectric effect
The resulting contraction or expansion of a piezoelectric crystal along an electric axis when the crystal is under the...
light field
The term light field refers to the spatial distribution of light rays traveling in all directions through a given space. It...
clear eye distance
In a visual optical system, the axial distance from the last mechanical surface of the eyepiece to the exit pupil.
pushbroom scanning
Pushbroom scanning is a technique used in remote sensing and imaging systems, particularly in satellite and aerial sensors,...
sheet polarizer
A sheet of plastic material containing microscopic crystals of herapathite or some other similar substance that transmits...
spin-spin coupling
Reciprocal magnetic interaction between nuclei in a molecular system facilitated by the binding electrons of the molecule.
spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is a technique used in the study of interactions between matter and electromagnetic radiation. It involves...
microcircuit manufacturing
The formation of transistors, diodes, capacitors, resistors and other electronic elements directly on a flake of silicon by...
hyperspectral imaging camera
A hyperspectral imaging camera is a sophisticated imaging device capable of capturing and processing data across a wide...
moiré pattern
The resulting interference pattern generated from moiré deflectometry, the moiré pattern is a pattern...
sonoradiography
The diagnostic procedure that uses ultrasonic energy to probe the body and, with the help of laser beams, a reflecting...
radiation pyrometer
Also known as radiation thermometer. A pyrometer in which the radiant intensity from the source to be measured is used to...
plasma accelerator
A plasma accelerator is a type of particle accelerator that uses electric fields and magnetic fields to accelerate charged...
moving aperture technique
Method for reducing laser speckle in which the object field comes from a real diffuse object or the reconstructed object...
active-matrix OLED display
An OLED display that has an integrated electronic backplane as its substrate. Active-matrix OLED displays use at least two...
minimum object distance
Minimum object distance, often abbreviated as MOD, refers to the closest distance at which a camera lens or optical system...
beta fluorography
The use of a short-duration electron beam to record high-speed events that occur in microscopic objects made of materials...
moiré deflectometry
An optical interference technique widely utilized as a method of nondestructive testing when determining the ray deflection...
acousto-optic modulators and deflectors
An acousto-optic modulator (AOM) is a device that utilizes the interaction between sound waves and light waves to modulate...
fluorescence microscopy
Fluorescence microscopy is a specialized optical imaging technique used in biology, chemistry, and materials science to...
infrared camera
An infrared camera, also known as a thermal imaging camera or IR camera, is a device that captures and visualizes the...
epilayer
The outside or covering layer.
spectrohelioscope
An instrument similar to the spectroheliograph, but having a scanning method that is performed by a pair of rapidly...
lenticular stereo photography
A type of stereoscopic photography in which a pair of lenses focuses a pair of images, relative to the positions of the two...
spectral luminous efficiency
Ratio of the radiant flux at a particular wavelength lm to that at any other wavelength l, such that both radiations produce...
GigE
GigE, short for gigabit Ethernet, refers to a standard for high-speed Ethernet communication, capable of transmitting data...
spectrometric oil analysis
An analytical technique used to determine, identify and localize impending malfunctions. It is based upon quantitative and...
electrowetting display
An electrowetting display (EWD) is a type of electronic display technology that utilizes the principles of electrowetting to...
projection moire topography
A contour mapping technique that involves projection of a grating onto an object to produce a shadow grating that is...
reflectance confocal microscopy
Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a non-invasive imaging technique that allows for high-resolution, in vivo imaging...
atmospheric absorption line parameters compilation
Compilation of the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories that contains values of the line parameters of the 1-0 bands of...
cubic convolution
A method of resampling in which a 16-pixel neighborhood around a given pixel from the original image is used to calculate...
epifluorescence microscopy
Fluorescence imaging technique in which the excitation light from the objective is directed into the sample producing...
perovskite
The term perovskite refers to a specific crystal structure commonly found in various materials. Perovskite structures have a...
xenon flashtube
A high-intensity source of incoherent white light in which a capacitor is discharged through a tube of xenon gas; often used...
photochemical hole burning
A method of producing disks for erasable optical data storage. Information is recorded by a laser beam that generates pits...
point processing
In digital image processing, a subcategory of frame processing that transforms pixel brightness and contrast through use of...
arc flash
An arc flash is a sudden release of electrical energy due to an electric arc — a continuous, high-current discharge of...
cylindrical lens
A cylindrical lens is an optical component that has different curvatures along its two orthogonal axes, resulting in a shape...
blank
A piece of glass, quartz or other transparent material formed roughly by molding or cutting into the approximate shape and...
phototheodolite
A camera equipped with angular scales in altitude and azimuth. The scale readings are imprinted on the film when an exposure...
accelerometer
An accelerometer is a sensor or transducer that measures the rate of change of velocity of an object, or in simpler terms,...
Lippich prism
A small half-shade analyzer placed in the eyepiece of a polarimeter to determine the character of the polarized light...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
electron microscope
A device utilizing an electron beam for the observation and recording of submicroscopic samples with the aid of photographic...
optical clock
An optical clock is a highly precise and advanced timekeeping device that relies on the oscillations of electromagnetic...
scintillation
1. The variation in intensity of a light beam as it travels through the atmosphere. 2. In radiation physics, a light flash...
orthoscopic eyepiece
A telescopic eyepiece that produces a field of view between 40° and 50°. The eyepiece consists of a single element...
masks for evaporation/deposition
In the context of thin film deposition processes such as evaporation or sputtering, masks are used to selectively deposit...
telescope lens
A telescope lens is a primary optical component of a telescope system that gathers and focuses light to form an image. It is...
Seidel aberrations
Seidel aberrations refer to a set of monochromatic aberrations in optical systems, named after the German mathematician and...
transversely excited atmosphere carbon dioxide laser
Abbreviated TEA CO2 laser. A gas laser that provides shorter pulses and higher peak powers than conventional CO2 lasers. The...
monolithic device
A device that is fabricated in a single piece; A device (i.e. circuit) that is operated at a single frequency or a single...
extraordinary ray
A ray that has a nonisotropic speed in a doubly refracting crystal. It does not necessarily obey Snell's law upon refraction...
nonspectral color
A color whose hue is not produced by a single wavelength in the visible spectrum, but is instead produced by mixing the...
periplan eyepiece
A well-corrected flat-field eyepiece with good eye relief. Similar to a Huygenian.
isodivs
A graphic depiction of the loci of all points in space relative to a laser transmitter at a specific altitude.
detector array
A detector array refers to a collection of individual detector elements arranged in a two-dimensional grid or matrix format....
halide
In chemistry, a halide refers to a chemical compound containing one or more halogen atoms bonded to another element. The...
pseudoscopic image
An image that is reversed contour or inside-out.
polymerase chain reaction
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a widely used molecular biology technique used to amplify a specific segment of DNA...
microcrystal
A microscopic crystal found in an intricately crystallized substance that is only visible under a microscope.
coherent fiber bundle
A coherent fiber bundle (CFB), also known as a coherent fiber optic bundle, is an assembly of multiple optical fibers...
kinescope
A cathode-ray tube that serves as a picture tube in a television receiver. The signal representing the picture intensity is...
emission spectrum
An emission spectrum is a graphical representation or a characteristic pattern of the wavelengths or frequencies of light...
pink noise
 fused quartz and silica
Fused quartz and silica are closely related materials, both composed primarily of silicon dioxide (SiO2), but they are...
spectral flow cytometry
Spectral flow cytometry is an advanced flow cytometry technique that expands the capabilities of traditional flow cytometry...
tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
A spectroscopic technique that combines the high chemical specificity of Raman scattering and signal sensitivity provided by...
nanoimprint lithography
Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a nanolithography technique used for fabricating nanoscale patterns on a substrate. It is a...
interference
1. The additive process whereby the amplitudes of two or more overlapping waves are systematically attenuated and...
network interface card
A network interface card (NIC), also known as a network adapter or LAN adapter, is a hardware component that allows...
picosecond continuum
A broadband, visible picosecond probe pulse capable of measuring an entire absorption spectrum in one shot.
doubly refracting crystal
A transparent crystalline substance that is anisotropic relative to the velocity of light.
spectral domain optical coherence tomography
Spectral domain optical coherence tomography is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics, particularly in...
ammonia pellets
Charged frozen pellets that are rapidly bombarded with a focused high-power laser to form a dense plasma that can be heated...
diode laser
A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light....
baselength
The distance between pupil centers in a two-pupil system, measured perpendicularly to the optic axis.
image centroid
Often referred to as the geometric center of a given image or image plane, the centroid of an image is a fixed point located...
nuclear track emulsion
A photographic emulsion of the silver-halide type that is used to record the path of a charged traveling particle. The...
image intensifier
An image intensifier, also known as an image intensification tube or image intensification device, is a specialized...
crystal field
The electrostatic field acting locally within a crystal as a result of the microscopic arrangement of atoms and ions in the...
pincushion distortion
An aberration of a lens system caused by an increase in lens focal length as the field angle increases. The amount of...
chirped-pulse amplification
Chirped pulse amplification (CPA) is a technique used in laser physics to amplify ultrashort laser pulses to high energies...
organic light-emitting diode
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) technology that utilizes organic compounds to...
damping
Continuous conversion of oscillatory energy into heat, relative to time or distance.
quantum efficiency
Quantum efficiency (QE) is a measure of the effectiveness with which a device or system, typically in the context of...
meta-optics
Meta-optics, also known as metasurface optics or flat optics, is a branch of optics that involves the design, fabrication,...
lab-on-a-chip
A lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is a miniaturized device that integrates various laboratory functions and capabilities onto a single,...
bimorph
A type of piezoelectric translator that uses two thin strips of piezoelectric material, one expanding while the other...
fiber optic spectrometer
A fiber optic spectrometer is a device used for measuring the spectral content of light. It utilizes optical fibers to...
microdisplay
A microdisplay is a miniature electronic display technology that is designed to project visual information onto a small...
surveyor's level
A small telescope mounted on a tripod and free to rotate about a vertical axis. A spirit level is mounted over the telescope...
free-space optics
Free-space optics (FSO), also known as optical wireless communication or optical wireless networking, refers to the...
gain-switching
Gain-switching is a technique used in lasers to generate short pulses of light by modulating the gain of the laser medium....
optical gate
An optical gate typically refers to a device or system that controls the transmission of light, allowing it to pass through...
solar simulator
A solar simulator is a device used to replicate the spectrum and intensity of sunlight in a controlled environment for...
colorimeter
A colorimeter is a device used to measure and quantify the color characteristics of an object or a light source. It provides...
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...
excimer laser
An excimer laser is a type of ultraviolet laser that emits short pulses of light in the ultraviolet spectrum. The term...
lookup table
In image processing, the memory that stores the values for the point processes. Input pixel values are those for the...
gram positive
Gram-positive bacteria are a group of bacteria that have a thick cell wall composed primarily of a substance called...
passive-matrix liquid crystal display
An LCD that has pixels with no internal drive transistors.
gray-scale image
An image consisting of an array of pixels that can have more than two values (black and white). Typically, up to 16 levels...
phosphor dots
Very small phosphor particles present on the screen of a picture tube.
nuclear magnetic resonance
A phenomenon, exploited for medical imaging, in which the nuclei of material placed in a strong magnetic field will absorb...
antigen
An antigen is any substance that is capable of triggering an immune response in an organism. Antigens are typically proteins...
heterojunction
A junction between semiconductors that differ in their doping level conductivities, and also in their atomic or alloy...
artificial star
A point source of light used for the test and evaluation of image quality. May be a backlit pinhole in an otherwise opaque...
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...
birefringence
Birefringence is an optical property of certain materials that causes them to exhibit different refractive indices for light...
freeform optics
Freeform optics refers to the design and fabrication of optical surfaces that do not follow traditional symmetric shapes,...
Rockwell hardness
Rockwell hardness (Rc) refers to a method for measuring the hardness of a material, primarily metals, using an indentation...
off-axis paraboloid and ellipsoid mirror
Off-axis paraboloid and ellipsoid mirrors are specialized optical components used in various optical systems, particularly...
simultaneous location and mapping
Technology that uses data from an array of sensors, one of which is commonly lidar, to solve the problem of creating a map...
laparoscope
An endoscopic surgical instrument that includes a channel for the introduction of supplementary instruments.
direct scanning
A scanning technique in which the object is illuminated the entire time, and in which picture elements of the object are...
kidney-bean effect
A dark region created by spherical aberration of an eyepiece's exit pupil. Because of the aberration, an observer's eye must...
optical coherence tomography imaging system
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics and biomedical research to obtain...
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...
slicing and cutting machines - for crystals, quartz, glass, etc.
A crystal, glass, or quartz slicing and cutting machine is a specialized piece of equipment used in the manufacturing...
flash photolysis
A spectroscopic technique used in the detection of free radicals by virtue of their electronic spectra. In this method, an...
photomicrographic camera
A still or motion-picture camera designed to photograph through a microscope. Photomicrographic equipment usually contains a...
saccadic motion
The movement of the eye as it focuses on details of a scene. Some imaging systems mimic this movement by small, rapid...
in vitro
In vitro is a Latin term that translates to "in glass." In scientific contexts, particularly in biology and medicine, it...
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...
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...
automatic gain control
A method of producing an essentially constant output signal from an electronic circuit despite variations in the strength of...
micro-optics
Micro-optics refers to the design, fabrication, and application of optical components and systems at a microscale level....
spicule
A feature in the chromosphere of the sun formed by a jet of gas that reaches from the chromosphere into the corona and has...
P-type material
A semiconductor material in which the dopants create holes as the majority charge carrier. It is formed by doping with...
hyperchromic shift
Hyperchromic shift refers to an increase in the absorption of light, leading to a higher absorbance, often observed in...
angular spectrum approach
The angular spectrum approach is a mathematical and computational technique used in the field of optics to analyze and...
calcite interference microscope
A microscope that allows examination of a small crystal and conveniently provides linearly polarized object and reference...
grain isolating diaphragm
In a microscope, the diaphragm located between the Bertrand lens and the eyepiece, which is closed during conoscopic viewing...
nearest neighbor
A resampling and interpolation method that uses only the value of the nearest neighbor pixel, while not considering values...
microprobe
An instrument that produces an intense, tightly focused beam of ions to stimulate emissions from a minute section of a...
Brownian motion
The behavior of microscopic solid particles suspended in a fluid, first observed by botanist Robert Brown in 1827 as a...
metasurfaces
Metasurfaces are two-dimensional arrays of subwavelength-scale artificial structures, often referred to as meta-atoms or...
microscopic
Characteristic of an object so small in size or so fine in structure that it cannot be seen by the unaided eye. A...
distortion
A general term referring to the situation in which an image is not a true-to-scale reproduction of an object. The term also...
nanoparticle photonic resonator absorption microscopy
Nanoparticle photonic resonator absorption microscopy is a microscopy technique that combines the principles of photonic...
differential pulse code modulation
A method of coding image data by storing in memory only differences in brightness of each pixel from that of its nearest...
flicker photometer
A bench photometer that depends on the inability of the eye to distinguish color in brief flashes of light. Any difference...
parallel scanning
Parallel scanning refers to a method of acquiring data or images simultaneously from multiple sources or in parallel, rather...
keystone distortion
A type of geometrical distortion that brings about a trapezoidal display of a nominally rectangular picture. Usually...
positioning
Positioning generally refers to the determination or identification of the location or placement of an object, person, or...
brightfield
Brightfield refers to a type of microscopy and imaging technique in which the specimen is illuminated with a white light...
prism binoculars
A pair of telescopes with prismatically erected images, mounted side by side with the eyepieces at the interocular distance...
scoring
The cutting of pitch tooling surfaces by an optical technician to permit polishing compounds to flow across the surface of...
edge-emitting LED
An edge-emitting light-emitting diode is a type of LED structure where light emission occurs primarily along the edge of the...
pointer eyepiece
A Huygenian eyepiece containing a pointer at its focal plane that is used -- when viewing an object through the eyepiece --...
Ramsden eyepiece
An eyepiece consisting of two planoconvex lenses of the same focal length, with facing convex surfaces.
acousto-optic tunable filter
A bulk crystalline optic which permits the propagation of light through a volume of index altered material. The variation in...
molded lens
A molded lens is an optical lens manufactured using a molding process, typically involving the shaping of a material, such...
bias frame
A frame taken with a CCD camera over an exposure length of zero seconds with the lens cap on or the shutter closed and no...
Peltier cooler
A Peltier cooler, also known as a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) or thermoelectric module, is a solid-state device that uses...
button blocking
The production of a block by attaching the optical elements to a plate by means of individual buttons of pitch or other...
synchronous pumping
The technique of generating ultrashort -- down to subpicosecond -- pulses by pumping a dye laser with mode-locked laser...
perspective distortion
The distortion that is the result of viewing a print from a point other than the center of perspective. The center of...
adaptive deconvolution
The process of adjusting input pixel by pixel at the filter plane to adapt to nondeal phase behavior in an optical...
fill ratio
The ratio of active to inactive areas on a pixel.
crystal filter
A bandpass filter with piezoelectric crystal components for the passage or impedance of electrical signals of various...
magnetic resonance spectroscopy
A method of studying the chemical and physical properties of atoms and molecules (typically living tissue and chemical...
histochemical staining
Histochemical staining is a laboratory technique used in biology and medicine to visualize specific chemical components...
infrared light-emitting diode
An infrared light-emitting diode (IR LED) is a semiconductor device that emits infrared light when an electric current...
filovirus
Filoviruses are a family of viruses that are responsible for severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fevers in humans and...
microspectroscope
A system composed of a prism spectroscope and compound microscope to provide the visual comparison of two spectra...
Pockels
In optics, the Pockels effect refers to the phenomenon where the refractive index of a material changes in response to an...
Pirani gauge
A vacuum gauge designed to measure very high degrees of vacuum by thermal conduction.
image subtraction
A method used to compare two pictures of the same subject taken at different times. See image comparison.
filar eyepiece
A measuring eyepiece with a screw-micrometer-driven crosshair used to measure the size of the image.
xenon arc
The arc formed when the rare gas xenon is excited electrically and emits a brilliant white light. Xenon is used to fill...
dynamic stare sensor
A type of mosaic detector array that combines features of scanning and staring sensors by using a small rapid scanning...
chopping frequency
laser sintering
Laser sintering is an additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that involves using a laser to selectively fuse...
gradient
In image processing and machine vision, the rate of change of pixel intensity.
piezoelectric crystal
A crystal consisting of a substance that has the ability to become electrically polarized and has strong piezoelectric...
Martens wedge
A wedge-shaped piece of quartz typically found in a polarimeter to monitor and rotate the plane of polarization of plane...
picking
The process whereby pitch is broken and the lenses or blanks are removed from the block.
laser peening
Laser peening is a surface enhancement technique used to improve the mechanical properties of materials, particularly...
microheterogeneous systems
Extremely small organic and inorganic systems of molecules within a substance. In general, systems are colloidal size in...
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...
point spread function
The point spread function (PSF) is a fundamental concept in imaging that describes the response of an imaging system to a...
heterostructures
A method used in integrated optics; formed by growing an epitaxial layer of active material, removing it from its base and...
volumetric imaging
Volumetric imaging refers to the capture, visualization, and analysis of three-dimensional (3D) information from a volume of...
f number (f/#)
The expression denoting the ratio of the equivalent focal length of a lens to the diameter of its entrance pupil.
Fermi-Dirac function
The mathematical expression of the probability of any given state of energy being occupied when a semiconductor is in...
pipeline
In image processing and elsewhere, generally an adjective to describe an assembly-line arrangement for performing a task....
hard elastics
High-modulus elastic fibers that exhibit the following differences from conventional elastic fibers: Increasing temperature...
photochromic
Photochromic refers to a property exhibited by certain materials, typically organic compounds or dyes, which undergo...
fixed-pattern noise
Fixed-pattern noise is the measure of the static (nontemporal) differences between pixels when the detector is evenly...
laser damage threshold
The laser damage threshold refers to the maximum level of laser intensity that a material can withstand without experiencing...
panoramic telescope
A telescope so manufactured that the image remains erect and the position of the eyepiece is unchanged as the line of sight...
Secondary Speckle Pattern
A self-interference effect that generates random patterns; secondary speckle pattern (SSP) typically occurs in diffuse...
rectangular scanning
A two-dimensional scanning process, in which a slow sector scan, propagated in one direction, is superimposed at right...
intravital microscopy
Intravital microscopy is an imaging technique used to visualize biological processes within living organisms, typically in...
linear receive optics
Linear receive optics typically refers to the optical components and systems used in the reception (detection) of linearly...
uniformly redundant array
Array used in coded-aperture imaging experiments with two-beam CO2 lasers that provide an artifact-free process, faithful...
terahertz
Terahertz (THz) refers to a unit of frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum, denoting waves with frequencies between 0.1...
evapotranspiration
A process, either naturally occurring or mechanically induced, whereby water is changed from its liquid state into a vapor.
remote inspection
Remote inspection refers to the process of inspecting, evaluating, or monitoring assets, equipment, infrastructure, or...
permeability
Typically represented by the Greek letter μ, magnetic permeability is the measure of a material's ability to generate and...
quasi-linear theory
The first nonlinear theory in plasma physics that details the time and space evolution of plasma wave instability from a...
wide-field fluorescence microscopy
Wide-field fluorescence microscopy uses either naturally occurring structures or staining with fluorescent tags that are...
torque
A calculated measure of the ability of an incident force to cause an object to spin. The spin speed of any given object is a...
modulation transfer function analysis/measurement equipment
MTF analysis/measurement equipment refers to instruments and tools used to measure and analyze the modulation transfer...
trial sets (ophthalmic)
Sets of lenses (positive, negative and cylindrical) usually mounted in circular rims suitable for slipping into trial...
electro-optic modulator
An electro-optic modulator (EOM) is a device used to modulate the amplitude, phase, or polarization of light waves using an...
transverse pumping
The laser pumping that exhibits an advantage over longitudinal pumping in that the threshold pump power density can be...
aerial mapping
The use of photographs taken from the air to construct graphic maps and charts of ground surfaces.
scintillation detector
A scintillation detector is a radiation detection device that utilizes scintillation crystals to detect and measure ionizing...
Craik-O'Brien effect
Observed when alterations in the luminous sterance at the contour of an object create the illusion of the outer zones...
optically pumped laser
A laser in which stimulated emission is triggered by the absorption by electrons of light from an auxiliary source such as a...
light chopping
simultaneous exposure and development
The process, used with a positive photoresist, in which the photoresist is immersed in developing chemicals while being...
Gregorian telescope
A telescope with an ellipsoidal secondary concave mirror that reflects rays from a parabolic primary mirror through an...
multimode distortion
In an optical waveguide,- typically a multimode fiber - the distortion resulting from differential mode delay, i.e. axial...
point cloud
A point cloud is a set of data points in a three-dimensional coordinate system, where each point represents a specific...
aerocartography
The creation of topographical maps and charts from a stereographic record produced through the overlapping of consecutive...
laser-mediated gene transfer
Laser-mediated gene transfer refers to a technique in molecular biology and genetic engineering that utilizes lasers to...
turbidity
Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by the presence of suspended particles. These...
light-emitting diode
An LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
flight path deviation indicator
An instrument designed to give a visual indication to the pilot when the plane has strayed from a specific flight path.
photoresist
Photoresist is a light-sensitive material used in photolithography processes, particularly in the fabrication of...
holographic microscopy
The holographic recording of a microscopic specimen whereby magnification is achieved by alteration in a wavelength or...
azimuthal polarization
Azimuthal polarization refers to a specific polarization state of light where the electric field vector of the...
scanning disc
In field-sequential color television, the rotating tricolor disc placed between the subject and the lens, or between the...
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite characterized by its standardized size and modular design. CubeSats are...
compensating eyepiece
A microscope eyepiece designed for use with apochromatic objectives. Since apochromatic objectives are undercorrected for...
marginal rays
Also referred to as the axial ray (or a-ray), a marginal ray originates from the axial point of the object and passes...
microdensitometer
The fundamental tool of microdensitometry, the microdensitometer is an instrument used for the precise measurement of...
light fidelity
LiFi, short for light fidelity, is a wireless communication technology that utilizes visible light or infrared light to...
functional material
Functional materials refer to materials that possess specific properties or functionalities that make them suitable for...
electron metallurgy
That branch of metallurgy that uses electron microscopic techniques in the examination of the nature of metals.
topology
Topology is a branch of mathematics that focuses on the properties of space that are preserved under continuous...
hydrogenated amorphous silicon
A photoreceptor material used in solar cells and in drums for laser printers and high-speed copiers because of its high...
metaverse
The term "metaverse" refers to a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical...
long-pass filter
A long-pass filter is an optical filter that allows longer wavelengths of light to pass through while blocking or...
calcium iodide
A hygroscopic powder used in the photographic process.
mesopic vision
Vision at intermediate levels of luminance between photopic and scotopic vision, where both retinal cones and retinal rods...
heat-resistant glass
Glass that has been specially treated so that it will not shatter when exposed to high temperatures followed by immediate...
pixel pitch
Pixel pitch refers to the distance between the centers of two adjacent pixels on a display screen or imaging sensor. It is...
two-photon excited fluorescence
Two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) is a nonlinear optical method that allows imaging of biological cells and living...
computer numerically controlled grinding
Computer numerically controlled (CNC) grinding is a manufacturing process that utilizes computerized controls and precision...
scanning electron micrograph
The picture formed by the scanning beam of electrons in a scanning electron microscope.
binning
Combining adjacent pixels into one larger pixel, resulting in increased sensitivity and lower resolution, or, in image...
image splitting eyepiece
An eyepiece having a special prism arrangement linked to a micrometer screw to allow reading of the angular relations...
pulse shaping
The use of variations in the power supplied to a laser to change the shape of the output pulse. The technique is used in...
N-type material
A quadrivalent semiconductor material, with electrons as the majority charge carriers, that is formed by doping with donor...
relative intensity noise
The inherent laser amplitude noise relative to the average optical power produced by the laser; the RIN decreases rapidly as...
optical barcode reader
An optical barcode reader, commonly known as a barcode scanner, is a device that uses optical technology to capture and...
disc
A piece of glass that eventually becomes the bifocal segment as it appears prior to being fused to the blank.
isotopically selected laser spectroscopy
A spectroscopic technique in which an excitation band absorbs laser energy resulting in an electronic transition. The...
biometrics
Biometrics refers to the automated recognition of individuals based on their physiological or behavioral characteristics....
emmetropia
The normal condition of vision where an object at infinity is in sharp focus with the eye lens in a neutral or relaxed state.
negative dielectric anisotropy
State typically studied in liquid crystals in which the dielectric coefficient parallel to the director is less than the...
rotating hologram
A disc composed of a series of holographic optical elements that diffract light at various angles. When spinning, a raster...
photon jet
A photon jet is a narrow, highly collimated beam of light that is formed when light interacts with small dielectric...
ocular prism
The prism used in a rangefinder to bend the lines of sight through the instruments into the eyepieces.
infrared photomicrography
Photographic recording that uses infrared radiation as the light source to form an image of a microscopic object and a...
microchannel plate
A microchannel plate (MCP) is a specialized electron multiplier device used in various applications such as particle...
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur...
SPIN
Acronym for self-aligned polysilicon interconnect N-channel. A metal-gate process that uses aluminum for the metal-oxide...
McLeod gauge
A gauge designed to measure high degrees of vacuum. It consists of a glass bulb attached to the vacuum vessel, the...
dynamic beam correction
The superimposition of a pilot object on each hologram. The fixed relative position of the scanning and pilot beam during...
octave
In optics, an octave typically refers to a range of frequencies or wavelengths that spans a factor of 2. In other words,...
lensless microscopy
Lensless microscopy, also known as computational or holographic microscopy, is an imaging technique that captures and...
liquid crystal
Liquid crystals are a state of matter that exhibits properties intermediate between those of conventional liquids and solid...
linear positioning stage
A linear positioning stage, also known as a linear stage or translation stage, is a precision mechanical device used to...
automatic optical inspection
A system for automatic industrial process control or measurement, consisting of an optical module for image acquisition, a...
open-dish method
A measurement method for reflectance by gas ionization in which light passes through a vapor before and after reflection....
rhomboid prism
A reflecting prism that is rhomboidal in shape. It has two parallel transmitting faces, and two parallel reflecting faces;...
Babinet compensator
A device containing two opposed quartz wedges of equal angle, one wedge being movable along its length by a micrometer...
CID camera
CID, or charge injection device, camera refers to a type of imaging device that utilizes a specific kind of solid-state...
fluorescence
Fluorescence is a type of luminescence, which is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other...
infrared reflector
An optical component coated to reflect infrared radiation. Gold, silver and aluminum are typical coating materials.
CoaXPress
CoaXPress (CoaXPress or CXP) is a standardized digital interface and communication protocol used primarily in machine vision...
optical element
An optical part constructed of a single piece of optical material. It is usually a single lens, prism or mirror.
CMOS image sensor
A CMOS image sensor, short for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor, is a type of semiconductor device used...
surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an analytical technique that combines the principles of Raman spectroscopy...
transmission electron microscope
A transmission electron microscope (TEM) is a powerful microscopy technique that uses a beam of electrons to create...
chemical vapor deposition equipment
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment refers to a class of specialized apparatus used in the process of chemical vapor...
radiation trapping
That process by which radiation spontaneously emitted by a volume of optical materials is resonantly reabsorbed within the...
optical microphone
Laser-powered telephone device for analog communications that employs a vibrating plastic membrane as a transmitter to...
differential spectrophotometry
The measurement of the spectrum bands formed by a spectroscopic sample, based on the differences between the sample and the...
Van der Waals
Van der Waals forces refer to the attractive or repulsive forces between molecules (or parts of molecules) that arise from...
quantum key distribution
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a method of secure communication that utilizes principles from quantum mechanics to...
optical tweezers
Optical tweezers refer to a scientific instrument that uses the pressure of laser light to trap and manipulate microscopic...
spot meter
A telescopic light-sensing meter used to measure illumination levels of small regions at a distance of many feet; it is used...
retina camera
A special-purpose camera used by ophthalmologists to photograph the retina of the eye. The optical system operates through...
Nipkow disc scanner
A device consisting of a disc with a spiral arrangement of holes that is used to convert visible patterns into electrical...
ground glass
A plate of glass in which a face has been frosted by grinding or etching. It diffuses light by scattering in directions...
digital camera
A digital camera is a device that captures and records still images or video in digital format. Unlike traditional film...
retroreflector
A retroreflector is an optical device or structure that reflects incident light or electromagnetic waves back to their...
Casimir force
The Casimir force is a quantum phenomenon that results in an attractive force between two closely spaced uncharged...
button
A piece of glass with a high refractive index that is fused to the major blank.
instantaneous field of view
Instantaneous field of view (iFOV) is a term commonly used in the context of remote sensing, imaging systems, and optical...
mass spectrum
A spectrum that displays the distribution in mass or in mass-to-charge ratio of ionized atoms, molecules or molecular parts....
laser annealing
Laser annealing is a process that involves using a laser beam to heat and modify the microstructure of a material, typically...
vibrational transition
A vibrational transition refers to a change in the vibrational energy of a molecule. Molecules consist of atoms that are...
waveguide
A waveguide is a physical structure or device that is designed to confine and guide electromagnetic waves, such as radio...
mixed-signal oscilloscope
A mixed-signal oscilloscope (MSO) is a type of electronic test instrument that combines the capabilities of both a...
deep learning
Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that involves the use of artificial neural networks to model and solve complex...
synchrotron
A synchrotron is a type of particle accelerator that uses magnetic fields to steer charged particles, typically electrons or...
near-field holography
A lithography method that allows the transfer of fine-pitch gratings from a phase mask into photoresist. The exposure takes...
dual inline package
A package for electronic components that is suited for automated assembly into printed circuit boards. The DIP is...
optical dummy
1. A lens formed to a desired curve and used to form a polisher. 2. A piece of glass included in a block to fill out the...
random access multiphoton microscopy
Also known as RAMP microscopy, random access multiphoton microscopy is a microscopic technique that uses multiple...
ultrahigh-speed photography
Photographic recording of rapid events at a rate exceeding 106 frames per second.
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...
erosion
In image processing, a morphology operator in which a structuring element or probe of a particular shape is moved over the...
short wavelength infrared
Short wavelength infrared (SWIR) refers to the portion of the infrared spectrum that encompasses wavelengths roughly between...
Petzval lens
A high-speed, narrow-field lens consisting of two achromats spaced about the aperture stop. Its uses include portrait...
spectroscopic flash
The light flash, produced in flash photolysis, that is triggered within a second discharge tube by the third electrode. It...
rare-earth elements
Rare-earth elements (REEs) are a group of seventeen chemical elements found in the Earth's crust, characterized by their...
dichroic mirror
A dichroic mirror, also known as a dichroic beamsplitter or interference filter beamsplitter, is an optical device that...
ultrafast pulsed laser
An ultrafast pulsed laser is a type of laser that emits extremely short pulses of light with durations typically on the...
static beam shaping
A technique for creating optimal performance in a system by producing a specific beam irradiance distribution, usually...
electrolytic development
Developing a photographic image by means of an applied electric field. The methods used include electrolysis and...
soliton laser
A color center laser whose output is coupled to an external control laser cavity and then fed back to the main laser cavity...
arc light source
In present usage, especially for spectroscopic identification, an arc between electrodes that serves as a radiation source....
whole slide imaging
Whole slide imaging (WSI), also known as virtual slide microscopy or digital pathology, is a technology that involves the...
planform bonding
A manufacturing process used to construct substrates for large optical components. Used with IR materials, planform bonding...
microenvironmental control system
Equipment that supports microscopic live-cell imaging by managing the gas, media perfusion, temperature and other factors to...
deuterium discharge lamp
A discharge lamp filled with deuterium to produce high-intensity ultraviolet radiation for use in spectroscopic analysis.
laser trapping
A technique for confining atoms, molecules or small particles within one or more laser beams. This can be accomplished...
double-clad fiber
Double-clad fiber (DCF) is a specialized optical fiber that features two concentric cladding layers surrounding a core. The...
comparator
1. An eyepiece or magnifier with a scale at its image plane. That scale is placed in contact with an object, permitting...
mode sweeping
A form of laser output noise that is caused by thermal, mechanical, or acoustical disturbances of the cavity length. Mode...
beam diameter
1. Calculated distance between two exactly opposed points on a beam at a chosen fraction of peak power (typically 1/e2). 2....
design and engineering consulting services
Design and engineering consulting services refer to professional services provided by specialized firms or individuals to...
pairing
In interlaced television scanning, an effect in which the lines of one field fail to fall exactly within the lines of the...
monochromator
A monochromator is an optical instrument used to isolate and select a narrow range of wavelengths from a broader spectrum of...
film weld
The butt (edge to edge) splice of two pieces of film produced by a heat splicer that melts the edges together; used in...
ultraviolet reflectance
Ultraviolet reflectance refers to the ability of a material or surface to reflect UV light. Ultraviolet light is...
optical flat
A piece of glass, pyrex or quartz having one or both surfaces carefully ground and polished plano, generally flat to less...
milling
An automatic surface-generating process involving the removal of a material from a given surface. Optical milling typically...
retroreflection
Retroreflection is a phenomenon in optics where light is reflected back toward its source, typically in a direction nearly...
global optimization
A controlled random search process, such as generalized simulated annealing, that has been incorporated into many optical...
impurity level
In the context of optical materials, the term "impurity level" refers to the presence of foreign atoms or molecules within...
xenon arc photocoagulator
An instrument for eye surgery that directs intense xenon arc light through the transparent cornea lens to the retina where...
Young's two-slit interference
The method by which Thomas Young in 1802 disproved Newton's corpuscular theory of light by the formation of interference...
phase
In optics and photonics, "phase" refers to a property of electromagnetic waves, such as light, that describes the position...
cavity dumping
A Q-switch method that can result in extreme pulse shortening.
rotary camera
A camera system used for microphotography that has a structure, such as a cylinder or surveyor belt, to rotate the documents...
black level
The level of the television picture signal that corresponds to the maximum limit of black peaks.
rapid rectilinear lens
A double meniscus system in which two achromatized meniscus lenses are arranged symmetrically on either side of the aperture...
blocking cement
An adhesive used to hold optical elements to blocking tools. It is usually a thermoplastic substance such as resin, beeswax,...
photosite
A small section of the surface of a sensor corresponding to a single pixel in the image.
epitaxial equipment
Epitaxial equipment refers to a set of specialized tools and systems used in the process of epitaxy, which is the growth of...
doping
In the context of materials science and semiconductor physics, doping refers to the intentional introduction of impurities...
focal plane array
A linear or two-dimensional matrix of individual detector elements, typically used at the focus of an imaging system.
2D profile sensor
A 2D profile sensor is a type of sensor used in various industrial and technological applications to measure and capture...
cinemicrography
Cinematography performed with the use of a microscope to film the actions of microscopic specimens.
collinear pumping
A method of exciting a laser by coupling it directly to another laser.
pixel
A pixel, short for "picture element," is the smallest controllable element of a digital image or display. It is a...
micro-ring resonator
A micro-ring resonator is a compact optical device that utilizes the resonant behavior of light within a small ring-shaped...
pixel group processing
In digital image processing, a subcategory of frame processing that treats each pixel in terms of its relationship to...
hydrophobic
Hydrophobic is a term used to describe substances or materials that repel or do not readily interact with water. The word...
electronic flash unit
A small xenon-filled tube with metal electrodes fused into the ends. The gas flashes brilliantly when a condenser is...
eikonometer
A scale attached to a microscope eyepiece that is seen superimposed on the image and that is used to measure the dimensions...
ordinary ray
The ray that has an isotropic speed and maintains a uniform polarization in all propagation directions when traveling in a...
explosive variable
In cosmology, a star that exhibits a rapid increase in the magnitude of light, which is followed by a slow decrease in...
pistoning
Motion of a fiber into and out of the ferrule. This effect is often caused by changes in temperature.
near-infrared spectrometer
A near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer is an analytical instrument used to measure the absorption, transmission, or reflection...
vacuum ultraviolet detector
A device that serves to detect the presence of vacuum ultraviolet radiation. It may be photographic film, a thermopile, ion...
spectroscopic binaries
Two stars so close together that they cannot be resolved by telescopes. They are proved to be double stars by the doubling...
aeolight
A glow discharge lamp consisting of a cold cathode and a mixture of inert gases. The intensity of illumination varies with...
low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit (LEO) refers to a region in space that is relatively close to Earth's surface, typically characterized by...
piezoelectric effect
The interaction between electrical and mechanical stress-strain factors in a material. When piezoelectric crystal is...
reagent
A reagent is a substance or compound that is used in a chemical reaction to bring about a specific transformation or to...
negative stereoscopic image
When a stereo pair of images is switched so that the right eye sees the left image and the left eye the right, the stereo...
structured illumination microscopy
Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) is an advanced optical imaging technique used in microscopy to enhance the...
microfluidics
Microfluidics is a multidisciplinary field that involves the manipulation and control of very small fluid volumes, typically...

(1,224 results found)

Explore Our Content
News
Features
Latest Products
Webinars
White Papers
All Things Photonics Podcast
Videos
Our Summits & Conferences
Industry Events
Bookstore
Join Our Community
Subscribe
Advertise
Become a member
Sign in
Contribute a Feature
Suggest a Webinar
Submit a Press Release
Mobile Apps

About Us
Our Company
Our Publications
Contact Us
Career Opportunities
Teddi C. Laurin Scholarship

Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)



©2024 Photonics Media
100 West St.
Pittsfield, MA, 01201 USA
[email protected]
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.