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Teledyne DALSA - Line Scan Leader 5/24 LB
art Dictionary Terms

uniformly redundant array
Array used in coded-aperture imaging experiments with two-beam CO2 lasers that provide an artifact-free process, faithful...
Laurent polarimeter
A Laurent polarimeter is an instrument used in optics for measuring the rotation of plane-polarized light caused by...
contour projector
An inspection device in which the profile of a mechanical part is projected onto a ground-glass screen at a precisely known...
scintillation detector
A scintillation detector is a radiation detection device that utilizes scintillation crystals to detect and measure ionizing...
aerial camera
Camera designed for the imaging of the earth's surface in order to obtain high quality aerial images
laser rangefinder
A laser rangefinder is a device that uses laser technology to measure the distance between the device and a target. It...
fiber-coupled LED
A fiber-coupled LED (light-emitting diode) refers to an LED device that is optically coupled to an optical fiber for the...
nano
An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other...
perovskite
The term perovskite refers to a specific crystal structure commonly found in various materials. Perovskite structures have a...
Michelson-Morley experiment
An optical experiment carried out conclusively in 1887 that demonstrated that the ether, a hypothetical medium postulated by...
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...
electronic flash unit
A small xenon-filled tube with metal electrodes fused into the ends. The gas flashes brilliantly when a condenser is...
elaterite
The organic inclusion in quartz crystal that forms delicate films and microspheres and that shows a maximum absorption at...
micro-ring resonator
A micro-ring resonator is a compact optical device that utilizes the resonant behavior of light within a small ring-shaped...
terahertz spectrometer
A terahertz spectrometer is a scientific instrument used to measure and analyze the properties of materials in the terahertz...
complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) refers to a technology used in the fabrication of integrated circuits,...
beam shaper
A beam shaper is an optical device or system designed to modify the spatial profile or intensity distribution of a laser or...
Glan spectrophotometer
A device similar to the ordinary spectrophotometer but containing particular modifications to provide for the comparison of...
Cornu double prism
A compound prism formed by cementing together two 30° prisms, one of right-handed and one of left-handed quartz. It has...
fan-out
The distribution of one signal to more than one location. In a digital computer, it refers to the number of outputs that can...
fiber optic gyroscope
A fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) is a type of gyroscope that uses the interference of light waves to detect changes in...
anode
The part of an electrical circuit in which the electrons leave (a cathode-ray tube) or enter (an electrolytic cell) a unit...
Snellen letter
The letter form used on visual performance test charts. The overall letter height is equal to five times the thickness of...
termination
The process of attaching a device to the end of a fiber cable to enable the beam to be transmitted farther, to pass to...
parallel scanning
Parallel scanning refers to a method of acquiring data or images simultaneously from multiple sources or in parallel, rather...
Nd:YAG laser
Nd:YAG laser refers to a solid-state laser that utilizes neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:Y3Al5O12) as the gain...
otoscope
An otoscope is a medical device used by healthcare professionals, particularly ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists,...
photographic photometry
A form of photometric measurement, often used with light sources that are transparent or fluctuating, in which a...
synchrotron
A synchrotron is a type of particle accelerator that uses magnetic fields to steer charged particles, typically electrons or...
transition
The process whereby a quantum mechanical system alters from one energy level to another. During this process, energy is...
mode
1. The characteristic of how light propagates through a waveguide that can be designated by a radiation pattern in a plane...
liquid gate
An immersion liquid used to treat polarizing filters to eliminate the effects of surface variations and to minimize the...
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...
Nomarski microscopy
Also referred to as differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy; Nomarski microscopy is a unique form of microscopy...
stress-applying part
In polarization-preserving optical fibers, the element used to induce birefringence. The SAP is highly doped to provide a...
double-raster format
A mode of laser printing in which each pixel is printed four times, providing sharper lines and a continuous tone from...
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...
Peltier cooler
A Peltier cooler, also known as a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) or thermoelectric module, is a solid-state device that uses...
holographic grating
A holographic grating is a type of diffraction grating that is produced using holographic recording techniques. It consists...
micro-LED
Micro-LED (micro-light-emitting diode) refers to a technology that involves the use of very small light-emitting diodes to...
short wavelength infrared
Short wavelength infrared (SWIR) refers to the portion of the infrared spectrum that encompasses wavelengths roughly between...
luminescent fiber
Fiber that emits luminescent radiation excited by ultraviolet, x-ray or high-energy particles.
Koenig-Martens spectrophotometer
A visual, single-unit spectrophotometer with a biprism and a Wollaston prism. The Wollaston prism polarizes coincident...
computer graphics
Computer output in the form of pictorial representation (graphs, charts, drawings, etc.) that is displayed visually.
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,...
detector-Dewar assembly
A detector-Dewar assembly typically refers to a combination of a detector and a Dewar flask used in scientific instruments,...
modulation
In general, changes in one oscillation signal caused by another, such as amplitude or frequency modulation in radio which...
infrared light-emitting diode
An infrared light-emitting diode (IR LED) is a semiconductor device that emits infrared light when an electric current...
seed
1. In glass, a solid inclusion having a small diameter. 2. A particular, single crystal that, after undergoing the...
bayonet coupling
A coupling mechanism designed to quickly lock a connector into an adaptor or a lens into a lens mount. Typically coupling is...
microelectromechanical systems
Refers to micron-size complex machines that have physical dimensions suitable for the fabrication of optical switches for...
nonionizing radiation
Radiation that does not produce free electrons and ions, or electrically charged particles.
spectral flow cytometry
Spectral flow cytometry is an advanced flow cytometry technique that expands the capabilities of traditional flow cytometry...
mass spectrum
A spectrum that displays the distribution in mass or in mass-to-charge ratio of ionized atoms, molecules or molecular parts....
recrystallization
The growth of particular grain fragments in a metal or alloy, at the expense of others, that occurs when the metal or alloy...
modulation transfer function analysis/measurement equipment
MTF analysis/measurement equipment refers to instruments and tools used to measure and analyze the modulation transfer...
planar magnetron
A device used in the sputtering of thin films, in which a magnet system on the back of the cathode deflects the electrons,...
sapphire window
A sapphire window refers to a transparent optical component made from sapphire crystal. Sapphire is a single-crystal form of...
laser damage threshold
The laser damage threshold refers to the maximum level of laser intensity that a material can withstand without experiencing...
additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is a manufacturing process that involves creating three-dimensional...
ionization potential
The amount of energy required for a particular kind of atom to remove an electron to infinite distance. The ionization...
digital signal processing
Digital signal processing (DSP) refers to the manipulation and analysis of signals, which are representations of physical...
gamma-ray spectrometer
An instrument used to detect and measure the energy distribution of gamma rays. It has been used to chart the radioactivity...
InGaAs photodiode
An InGaAs photodiode refers to a photodetector device that is constructed using a semiconductor material composed of a...
quartz
See crystal quartz; fused quartz.
mass spectrometer
A device used to measure the masses and relative concentrations of atoms and molecules. It utilizes the Lorentz force...
advanced driver assistance systems
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) refers to a set of safety features and technologies designed to assist drivers in...
system on chip
Abbreviated SoC. A single chip containing all the electronic circuits required for a complete, working product. SoCs are...
Kapitza-Dirac diffraction
The diffraction of a particle by a standing lightwave.
quenching
The inhibition or elimination of one process by another process. The stimulated emission of a laser oscillator can be...
Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor
The Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is an optical device used for measuring the wavefront aberrations of an optical system....
backscatter
Backscatter refers to the phenomenon in which radiation or waves are scattered backward, opposite to the direction of the...
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...
quarter-wave plate
A plate made of a double-refracting crystal having such a density that a phase difference of one-quarter cycle is formed...
Fabry-Perot interferometer
A multiple-beam interferometer, usually consisting of two flat plates, with high reflective ability. The plates are set...
long-pass filter
A long-pass filter is an optical filter that allows longer wavelengths of light to pass through while blocking or...
quartz spectrograph
A spectrograph used to detect radiation in the range of the ultraviolet in the electromagnetic spectrum. It is made up of...
frame rate
Frame rate refers to the frequency at which consecutive images, or frames, are displayed in a video sequence. It is...
aberration
A departure from ideal paraxial imaging behavior. The distortion of an optical field wavefront as it is propagated through...
luma
The luminance portion of a composite video signal, i.e., the portion of the signal that corresponds to the brightness of the...
holographic tomography
Holographic tomography is an advanced imaging technique that combines holography and tomography to provide three-dimensional...
photoplethysmography
Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a non-invasive optical technique used to detect changes in blood volume in tissues. It...
smart pixel array
An array of active optical devices (modulators, laser diodes and/or detectors), each of whose electrical inputs or outputs...
quadrupole lens
A device used in electron microscopes and particle accelerators to focus electron beams by the arrangement of four...
high-pressure cloud chamber
A cloud chamber designed to maintain the gas within it at a high pressure as a means of reducing the range of the...
in vitro
In vitro is a Latin term that translates to "in glass." In scientific contexts, particularly in biology and medicine, it...
astronomy
The scientific observation of celestial radiation that has reached the vicinity of Earth, and the interpretation of these...
spatial light interference microscopy
Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) is an optical microscopy technique that belongs to the category of quantitative...
atmospheric turbulence
Irregularities and disturbances in the atmosphere that are of particular interest because they induce random temporal and...
zero-order retarder
A quarter- or half-wave retarder made from two plates of quartz, mica or polymer with their fast axes crossed; the...
attenuation
Attenuation refers to the gradual loss or reduction of intensity, force, or magnitude of a particular property as it...
Cotton-Mouton effect
The ability of particular pure liquids to doubly refract when influenced by a magnetic field with a direction that is...
vacuum chamber
A vacuum chamber is a sealed enclosure from which air and other gases are removed to create a low-pressure environment,...
resonance absorption (light)
The re-emission of absorbed energy, having the same wavelength as the incident energy, in an arbitrary direction from a...
GRIN lens
A GRIN (gradient index) lens is a type of optical lens that utilizes a gradient in refractive index across its volume rather...
boule
1. A group of optical fibers that are fused and then treated to produce a vacuum-tight optical fiber cone or plate. 2. An...
spectrum analyzer
A scanning device used to cyclically tune through a given frequency range to determine the amplitude-frequency distribution...
quantum entanglement
Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where two or more particles become correlated to such an extent...
synchrotron radiation
Radiation emitted by electrons when they travel in circular orbits at speeds close to that of light. Synchrotron radiation...
cosine collector
Translucent collector developed to compensate for the partial blocking of a flat surface's collection angle that normally...
footprint
1. The sector of the Earth's surface registered upon a remote sensing device in a satellite. 2. The amount of space occupied...
curvature
The measure of departure from a flat surface, as applied to lenses; the reciprocal of radius. Applies to any surface,...
telescope mount
The base used to hold an astronomical telescope. It may be either altazimuth, with horizontal and vertical axes of rotation,...
integrated photonics
Integrated photonics is a field of study and technology that involves the integration of optical components, such as lasers,...
linear optics
Linear optics refers to the study and manipulation of light in a linear and deterministic manner, where the response of...
London equations
The partial differential equations for the spatial and time dependence of electric and magnetic fields inside a...
functional material
Functional materials refer to materials that possess specific properties or functionalities that make them suitable for...
pyramid error
Pyramid error in optics refers to an aberration in the shape of an optical surface, particularly in the context of mirrors....
dip
The departure of a curved surface from the plane that is tangent to its vertex. See sag.
thermomagnetic imaging
The production of an image on a magnetic film that is exposed to infrared radiation and heated to a point above Curie...
fluence
Fluence is a term used in various scientific and technical disciplines to describe the amount of something per unit area....
in vivo
In vivo is a Latin term that translates to "within the living." In scientific contexts, particularly in biology and...
strain
In optics, the mechanical tension, compression or shear in optical glass due to internal stress caused by improper cooling...
far-infrared
That part of the infrared spectrum from about 30 to 1000 µm.
Glan-Thompson prism
A prism resembling a Nicol prism but having faces normal to the axis and the two parts divided by a glycerine film. Also...
borescope
A device for the internal inspection of hard-to-get-at mechanical parts, such as rifle barrels, sewer pipes, oil wells, or...
quantitative phase imaging
Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is an advanced imaging technique used in microscopy to measure and analyze the optical...
resolution test chart
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur...
mosaic detector array
A group of photosensors arranged in a grid-like pattern covering the entire field of view, enabling them to record it all at...
aerocartography
The creation of topographical maps and charts from a stereographic record produced through the overlapping of consecutive...
laser-light-scattering photometer
A scattering photometer using scattered light in the solid angle 4.51+0 19° with respect to the forward direction, and...
functional near-infrared spectroscopy
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive neuroimaging technique that measures changes in hemoglobin...
solar radiation
Radiation from the sun that is made up of a very wide range of wavelengths, from the long infrared to the short ultraviolet...
nuclear quadrupole resonance spectroscopy
A chemical detection technique used to measure molecules that have a magnetic dipole moment. The analysis is directed to...
bifocal lens
A two-part lens that has a different focal length for each part. Generally, it is used in eyeglasses to correct for both...
Malus's law
A law that uses the square of the cosine between the plane of polarization of a beam of plane-polarized light and the plane...
scanning beam
A light, radar or electron beam used to scan according to a particular method.
attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy
Attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy is a technique used in analytical chemistry to obtain IR spectra of samples....
photomask
A photomask, also known simply as a mask or reticle, is a key component in the photolithography process used in...
optogenetic defibrillation
An optogenetic technique that embeds genetically-engineered proteins to the heart to aid in terminating arrhythmias. After...
excimer laser coronary angioplasty
Excimer laser coronary angioplasty (ELCA) refers to a medical procedure used in the treatment of coronary artery disease....
organic light-emitting diode
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) technology that utilizes organic compounds to...
FTIR spectrometer
FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrometer is a powerful analytical instrument used to obtain an infrared spectrum of...
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite characterized by its standardized size and modular design. CubeSats are...
single-molecule FRET
Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) is a specialized technique in biophysics and molecular...
phase distrortion
Phase distortion refers to a change in the phase relationships between different frequency components of a signal. In the...
beta-ray spectrometer
An instrument for the detection of the energy distribution of b-particles and secondary electrons.
actinometer
A device that measures the intensity of photochemically active radiation, particularly from the sun. One form of this...
Casimir force
The Casimir force is a quantum phenomenon that results in an attractive force between two closely spaced uncharged...
swept source optical coherence tomography
Swept-source optical coherence tomography is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics, particularly in...
Lorentz oscillator model
The Lorentz oscillator model is a theoretical model used in physics to describe the response of a charged particle (such as...
figure tolerance
The allowable departure from the given figure or geometrical form. It may be described in terms of fringes or wavelengths.
achromat
An achromat, in the context of optics, refers to a type of lens or lens system designed to reduce chromatic aberration....
spectroradiometer
A spectroradiometer is a device used to measure the intensity of light at different wavelengths across the electromagnetic...
transfer blocking
A process used to control thickness and parallelism precisely during the production of plane-parallel plates. Elements are...
sapphire crystal
Sapphire crystal refers to a transparent, single-crystal form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) known as corundum. It is one of the...
microchannel plate
A microchannel plate (MCP) is a specialized electron multiplier device used in various applications such as particle...
silicon dioxide
An abundant material found in the form of quartz and agate and as one of the major constituents of sand. The silicates of...
low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit (LEO) refers to a region in space that is relatively close to Earth's surface, typically characterized by...
diamond cutting tool
A tool made by imbedding small particles of diamond in the working edge. In the optical field, the most commonly used...
x-ray spectrometer
An instrument designed to produce an x-ray spectrum of a material as an aid in identifying it. This technique is...
dark-field illumination
The transmission of light by a condenser to observe either very small particles or very fine lines with a microscope.
ionization gauge
A type of radiation detector that depends on the ionization produced in a gas by the passage of a charged particle through...
minimum object distance
Minimum object distance, often abbreviated as MOD, refers to the closest distance at which a camera lens or optical system...
reagent
A reagent is a substance or compound that is used in a chemical reaction to bring about a specific transformation or to...
cascade tube
An instrument consisting of a high-voltage vacuum tube used to form hard x-rays or high-speed ion beams. By partitioning the...
etaloning
Etaloning is an optical phenomenon that occurs in imaging systems, particularly in devices such as spectrometers,...
lensless microscopy
Lensless microscopy, also known as computational or holographic microscopy, is an imaging technique that captures and...
stellar parallax
The angle subtended by the mean distance of the Earth from the sun at the distance of a given star from the sun.
coma
A lens aberration, resulting from different magnifications in the various lens zones, that occurs in that part of the image...
diamond-turned optic
Diamond turning refers to a precision machining process used to produce complex optical components, particularly lenses and...
nuclear magnetic resonance
A phenomenon, exploited for medical imaging, in which the nuclei of material placed in a strong magnetic field will absorb...
diffraction efficiency
Diffraction efficiency is a measure of how effectively a diffractive optical element (DOE) or diffraction grating directs...
electron-gun system
An electron-gun system is an assembly used to generate and control a focused beam of electrons. Electron guns find...
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...
Raman absorption
The absorption of part of the photon energy by a molecule through which there is a slight energy change and the energy...
two-photon polymerization
Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is a technique used in additive manufacturing, specifically in the field of 3D printing. It...
bubble chamber
A large tank filled with liquid hydrogen, with a flat window at one end and complex optical devices for observing and...
metrology
Metrology is the science and practice of measurement. It encompasses the theoretical and practical aspects of measurement,...
Nichols radiometer
An instrument devised by Nichols and Hull for use in the measurement of radiation pressure. The device has two small...
chromatography
The chemical method of separating compounds dissolved in one phase (usually mobile) through its equilibration with a second...
optical coherence tomography
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique used in medical and scientific fields to capture...
radioluminescence
Luminescence produced by the bombardment of radiant energy such as x-rays, radioactive waves or alpha particles.
laser anemometry
The process by which laser emission is used in measuring fluid velocity and, more specifically, the detection of air and...
piezoelectric motion systems
Piezoelectric motion systems are mechanical systems that utilize piezoelectric materials to generate controlled motion or...
dispersion formula
All formulas that present the index of refraction as a function of a wavelength of electromagnetic radiation. Also called...
drift curve
A technique used in astronomy that requires a radio telescope to be directed at a point in the sky west of the object under...
diffuse reflectance spectroscopy
Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is a nondestructive analytical technique used to investigate the optical properties...
qubit
A qubit, short for quantum bit, is the fundamental unit of information in quantum computing and quantum information...
flow chemistry
Flow chemistry, also known as continuous-flow chemistry, is a chemical manufacturing process where reactions take place in a...
area scan
Area scan, in the context of imaging and cameras, refers to a method of capturing an entire two-dimensional image in a...
cataphoretic effect
The attraction of particles suspended in a solution to a cathode, as a result of an electric field.
twinning
A defect of natural quartz crystals in which both the right and left quartz are in the same crystal.
virtual histology
Virtual histology refers to the use of digital technology and computational methods to simulate or recreate histological...
Foucault chart
mode partitioning
The pulse-to-pulse fluctuations in power distribution among modes of a Fabry-Perot laser, which can result in...
apochromat
An apochromat, often referred to as an apochromatic lens or apochromatic objective, is a type of optical system designed to...
acetate film
Also cellulose acetate film. The emulsion layer applied to the substrate of a photographic surface. The emulsion layer is...
resolving power chart
x-ray spectrogram
A chart of an x-ray diffraction pattern.
v-coat
A multilayer antireflective thin-film coating, so called because its reflectance rises steeply at wavelengths above and...
beam-addressable technology
The application of reversible writing with a laser beam on particular storage materials. In one method, an amorphous film is...
quantum optics
The area of optics in which quantum theory is used to describe light in discrete units or "quanta" of energy known as...
nonthermal radiation
The radiation emitted from a group of charged particles that does not depend on the temperature of the source in which those...
Nernst glower
A Nernst glower, also known simply as a Nernst lamp or Nernst filament, is a type of incandescent lamp or radiant heater...
resolution chart
 bubble chamber photography
The photographic recording of gas bubbles produced when particles traverse liquid hydrogen in a bubble chamber.
adhesive
An intermolecular substance that serves to hold materials together. Two types are used in the optical industry: one, which...
metamaterial
Metamaterials are artificial materials engineered to have properties not found in naturally occurring substances. These...
digital point system
A pixel-based computer graphics system that simulates the tools of an artist.
tunneling
An observed effect of the ability of certain atomic particles to pass through a barrier that they cannot pass over because...
inertial fusion energy
Inertial fusion energy (IFE) refers to a proposed method of generating electricity by harnessing the energy released from...
masks for evaporation/deposition
In the context of thin film deposition processes such as evaporation or sputtering, masks are used to selectively deposit...
optical flat
A piece of glass, pyrex or quartz having one or both surfaces carefully ground and polished plano, generally flat to less...
phototherapy
Phototherapy is a medical treatment that involves the use of light to treat various conditions, particularly those related...
pathogen
A pathogen is a biological agent, such as a virus, bacterium, fungus, protozoan, or parasite, that causes disease in its...
nanoparticle photonic resonator absorption microscopy
Nanoparticle photonic resonator absorption microscopy is a microscopy technique that combines the principles of photonic...
phenotype
In biology, particularly genetics and evolutionary biology, the phenotype refers to the observable characteristics or traits...
mixed-signal oscilloscope
A mixed-signal oscilloscope (MSO) is a type of electronic test instrument that combines the capabilities of both a...
electromagnetic radiation
Radiation emitted from vibrating charged particles. A combination of oscillating electrical and magnetic fields that...
optical phase distortion
Optical phase distortion refers to a phenomenon where the phase of an optical wavefront is altered as it propagates through...
particle image velocimetry
A whole-flow-field technique providing instantaneous velocity vector measurements in a cross-section of a flow that is...
ion pair
Two oppositely charged particles.
multispectral imaging
Multispectral imaging is a technique that involves capturing and analyzing images at multiple discrete spectral bands within...
Coulomb scattering
The scattering of charged particles, moving through matter, by the electrostatic force exerted by other charged particles.
chemical-mechanical polishing
A technique for polishing silicon in which an alkaline suspension containing silicon dioxide particles creates a soft layer...
acousto-optic diffraction
Light diffracted by a solid (usually quartz in crystal or fused form) traversed by acoustic waves. If the ultrasonic...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically...
test chart
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...
Hartmann formula
holographic camera
A holographic camera, also known as a holographic imaging system or holographic recorder, is a specialized device used to...
diffraction-limited lens
A lens with aberrations corrected to the point that residual wavefront errors are substantially less than one-quarter the...
time-to-amplitude converter
A time-to-amplitude converter (TAC) is an electronic circuit that converts a time interval between two events into an...
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...
computer vision
Computer vision enables computers to interpret and make decisions based on visual data, such as images and videos. It...
plume
A mixture of ionized gas and metal vapor generated by impingement of the laser beam onto a material being welded or a weld...
mosaic
One surface of a nonconducting plate that is coated with many minute particles of photoemissive material that are insulated...
metaverse
The term "metaverse" refers to a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical...
Brewster angle window
A parallel plate of glass in such a position that the refracted and reflected rays of incident parallel light are mutually...
kampometer
A device designed to measure radiant energy, particularly in the thermal region.
filter grating
A grating used as a reflectance filter, particularly in the far-infrared. Small plane gratings, blazed for the wavelength of...
fiber optic cable assembly
A fiber optic cable assembly refers to a complete unit consisting of optical fibers, connectors, protective jackets, and...
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...
bandwidth
The range of frequencies over which a particular instrument is designed to function within specified limits. See also fiber...
quantum
The term quantum refers to the fundamental unit or discrete amount of a physical quantity involved in interactions at the...
mid-wave infrared
MWIR stands for mid-wave infrared, referring to a specific range of wavelengths within the infrared spectrum. Infrared...
endoscope
An endoscope is a medical device used for visualizing and examining the interior of hollow organs, body cavities, or...
contextual analysis
In optical character recognition systems, the identification of a character facilitated by means of known factors governing...
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...
nonlinear optics
Nonlinear optics is a branch of optics that studies the optical phenomena that occur when intense light interacts with a...
visual test chart
A series of high contrast block letters or similar objects arranged to permit the evaluation of eyesight in humans.
extinction meter
A type of exposure meter that artificially reduces the light admitted in a sequence of known fractions until a value is...
spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is a technique used in the study of interactions between matter and electromagnetic radiation. It involves...
mode filling factor
In a laser, the fraction of plasma volume used by a particular transverse mode of oscillation, a determinant of the gain...
sequential color transmission
With respect to television, the transmission of the signals that originate from variously colored parts of an image in a...
absorption peak
An absorption peak refers to a sharp increase or spike in the absorption of electromagnetic radiation at a particular...
chiral
Description of a particle that cannot be superimposed on its mirror image.
attosecond photonics sources
Attosecond photonics sources refer to devices or systems that generate extremely short pulses of light on the order of...
Lorentz force
The force acting upon a charged particle as it moves in a magnetic field, proportional to the particle's charge and velocity.
photon correlation spectroscopy
Spectroscopy used to study the concentration, diffusion and Brownian motion of small particles suspended in a fluid by...
quartz light source
A lamp with a quartz envelope that transmits radiation generally rich in the ultraviolet.
nematic phase
A form of liquid crystal with an appearance of moving, threadlike structures, particularly visible when observed in thick...
elastic scattering
Scattering caused by the interaction between ingoing and outgoing particles of the same type, with no loss of kinetic energy.
synchronous detector
A detector sensitive only to signals close to or at a particular frequency that is the same as the frequency of a control...
germicidal UV
Germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) refers to a specific range of UV radiation that has disinfectant properties capable of killing...
photomagnetic effect
The direct influence of light on the magnetic susceptibility of particular materials.
X-axis
1. In a plane Cartesian coordinate system, the horizontal axis, or axis in the left to right direction. 2. In a quartz...
microphotofabrication
The formation of microimages for microreduction. The technique is used, for example, in the production of precision reticles...
photoreactive agent
Participates in a reaction only in the presence of light and radiant energy. Besides 3D printing, photoreactive agents also...
chromatic aberration
Chromatic aberration is an optical phenomenon that occurs when different wavelengths (colors) of light are refracted by a...
magnetic fluid
A fluid having three components: a carrier fluid, magnetite particles suspended by Brownian motion and a stabilizer to...
holmium laser
Holmium lasers are a type of medical laser that utilizes holmium-doped crystals as the gain medium. The term holmium laser...
ion laser
A laser in which the transition involved in stimulated emission of radiation takes place between two levels of an ionized...
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...
crystal
A solid with a structure that exhibits a basically symmetrical and geometrical arrangement. A crystal may already possess...
coincidence circuit
Electronic circuit capable of distinguishing the pulses emitted by separate counters in a given time phase and determining...
Van der Waals
Van der Waals forces refer to the attractive or repulsive forces between molecules (or parts of molecules) that arise from...
laser
A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...
cosmic ray telescope
A system consisting of two or more Geiger-Müller counters, connected in coincidence with their centers on an axis. The only...
Brace prism
A compound prism composed of two 30° prisms, one of which is partially coated with a suitable opaque metal of high...
infrared detector
An infrared detector is a device that is used to detect and measure infrared radiation, which lies beyond the visible...
spatially offset Raman spectroscopy
Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) is a technique that extends traditional Raman spectroscopy by incorporating...
phase annulus
A term for the ring-shaped stop in a phase contrast microscope. The phase annulus limits the amount of light that reaches...
fused quartz and silica
Fused quartz and silica are closely related materials, both composed primarily of silicon dioxide (SiO2), but they are...
erosion
In image processing, a morphology operator in which a structuring element or probe of a particular shape is moved over the...
windowing
A technique for reducing data processing requirements by electronically defining only a small portion of the image to be...
thermal interface materials
Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are substances or compounds used to enhance the thermal conductivity between two surfaces...
proximity probe
A noncontact sensor used in the remote measurement of position, speed or other variables of moving parts.
absorbing wedge
A doped or absorbing transparent medium cut or molded into a wedge in order to measure the real and imaginary components of...
pushbroom scanning
Pushbroom scanning is a technique used in remote sensing and imaging systems, particularly in satellite and aerial sensors,...
pulsed welding
A type of laser welding that produces short-duration vapor pockets without buildup of heat in the part, useful for parts...
dielectric coating
A high-reflectance coating consisting of alternating layers of quarter-wave film of a higher refractive index and lower...
phage
A phage, short for bacteriophage, is a type of virus that infects and replicates within bacteria. Phages are composed of...
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...
fiber optic preform
A fiber optic preform is a cylindrical glass rod or tube used as the starting material for manufacturing optical fibers. It...
time-correlated single photon counting
Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) is a technique used in photon counting applications, particularly in the...
launching fiber
A fiber used in conjunction with a source to excite the modes of another fiber in a particular fashion.
mass spectrograph
A device that uses electromagnetic fields to separate electrically charged particles according to their masses. As a beam of...
framer
A device that permits the adjustment of facsimile transmitters and recorders so that their scanning lines stop and start at...
aspheric lens
An aspheric lens is a type of lens whose surface profiles deviate from the traditional spherical shape. Unlike spherical...
hyperchromic shift
Hyperchromic shift refers to an increase in the absorption of light, leading to a higher absorbance, often observed in...
quantum sensing
Quantum sensing refers to a class of sensing technologies that leverage principles from quantum mechanics to enhance the...
total internal reflection fluorescence
Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy is an advanced fluorescence microscopy technique that leverages the...
optical bistability
The phenomenon that can render an optical resonator the equivalent of a semiconductor flip-flop. A bistable device will...
Fresnel rhomb
A type of quarter-wave retarder in the form of a glass rhomb; light entering the retarder undergoes two total internal...
standing wave
The combination of two waves having the same frequency and amplitude and traveling in opposite directions. Standing waves...
rolling shutter artifacts
Rolling shutter artifacts are distortions or visual anomalies that can occur in images or videos captured by cameras with...
Fizeau fringes
Fizeau fringes are interference fringes observed in an interferometer, specifically in a Fizeau interferometer. The Fizeau...
Babinet compensator
A device containing two opposed quartz wedges of equal angle, one wedge being movable along its length by a micrometer...
radiation length
The average length in a specific material in which a relativistic charged particle will lose 67 percent of its energy by...
chromoendoscopy
A technique of using dyes during endoscopy to improve tissue differentiation. Dyes such as methylene blue, Toluidine blue...
lidar
Lidar, short for light detection and ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses laser light to measure distances and...
ultraviolet lens
A lens intended for use with wavelengths shorter than about 380 nm. It must be made of quartz, calcium fluoride, lithium...
particle acceleration
Particle acceleration refers to the process by which charged particles, such as electrons or protons, gain kinetic energy...
atmospheric optics
The analysis of the properties of radiation, such as light, when acted upon by variations in the atmosphere. Blue and red...
geosynchronous satellite
A man-made satellite that orbits 35,680 km from the Earth at a rate of one orbit per 24-hour period, thereby retaining its...
diamond turning
Diamond turning, also known as diamond machining or diamond cutting, is a precision machining process used to produce...
positioning
Positioning generally refers to the determination or identification of the location or placement of an object, person, or...
momentum transfer
In physics, momentum transfer is the amount of momentum transferred from one particle to another during particle collision...
surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an analytical technique that combines the principles of Raman spectroscopy...
integration time
Integration time, in the context of optics, imaging systems, and sensor technology, refers to the duration over which a...
emission line
The line or lines emitted by an element when its radiation particles travel from one energy level to another.
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...
transducer
A transducer is a device or component that converts one form of energy into another. It is commonly used in various fields,...
optical clock
An optical clock is a highly precise and advanced timekeeping device that relies on the oscillations of electromagnetic...
laser-induced fluorescence
Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is a spectroscopic technique that involves using a laser to excite molecules or atoms,...
platonic solid
Geometrical partition possible with a sphere that can be four, six, eight, 12 or 20 solid-angle wedges. Each platonic mass...
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...
second-harmonic generation
Second-harmonic generation (SHG) is a nonlinear optical process that occurs when two photons with the same frequency combine...
video scan converter
A device that changes the number of lines per frame of a video image to adapt to a lower resolution format, either by...
laser tweezers
A technique based on the principles of laser trapping and used to manipulate the position of small particles by gradually...
laser spectroscopy
That part of the science involved in the study of the theory and interpretation of spectra that uses the unique...
ferroelectric materials
Ferroelectric materials are a type of dielectric materials that exhibit spontaneous electric polarization, meaning they...
aurora
The strongest light emitted by the Earth's upper atmosphere. It most often can be viewed in the Arctic as the aurora...
lepton
The generic term describing the class of light particles having no strong interactions.
network interface card
A network interface card (NIC), also known as a network adapter or LAN adapter, is a hardware component that allows...
flame photometry
A part of the spectrochemical analysis of a sample that deals with the excitation of that sample by flame analysis.
translucent
Pertaining to materials having the property of reflecting a part and transmitting a part of the incident radiation.
dichroic polarizer
A polarizer that consists of dichroic polarizing material embedded in a plastic sheet, and that transmits light that is...
opaque projector
An opaque projector is a device used for enlarging and projecting images from opaque objects such as printed pages,...
ratiometry
Ratiometry is a technique used in various scientific fields, particularly in analytical chemistry and biochemistry, to...
Munsell Book Of Color
A collection of color samples arranged in charts according to equal visually spaced steps in Munsell hue, value and chroma.
photochromic
Photochromic refers to a property exhibited by certain materials, typically organic compounds or dyes, which undergo...
silicon carbide light-emitting diodes
Silicon carbide (SiC) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric current is...
phase-contrast microscope
A microscope that has an annular stop in the lower focal plane of the condenser, and a quarter-wave retarding and absorbing...
tearing
In television, a lateral displacement of the lines from their normal position due to the instability of a synchronizing...
grating beamsplitter
A grating beamsplitter is an optical device that utilizes the principles of diffraction to split a beam of light into...
electrostatic process
A process used in document copying and printing that involves the visible rendering of an invisible electrostatic image on a...
spatial intensity perturbation
A beam instability, induced by index of refraction inhomogeneities and component damage of dirt and dust particles, that...
backlash
In a mechanical system, any lost motion between driving and driven elements due to clearance between parts.
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment or experience that can be...
reconstruction wave
The coherent wave used to play back a recorded hologram. It is identical to the reference wave used in the generation of the...
soft radiation
Term applied to radiation composed of particles or photons that will not easily penetrate a material because of their low...
modulated zone plate
A zone plate produced by a computer and having a binary structure that can be etched into a chromium or quartz layer. It...
photoglow tube
A particular type of phototube having increased sensitivity as a result of the glow initiated by light incident to the...
XY recorder
A recorder that plots, on a chart, the interaction between two variables, not directly representing time.
dislocation
The region of distorted atom configuration formed between the displaced and normal areas in a crystal when part of the...
Martin's diameter
A specific method for measuring the diameter of irregular shaped particles, Martin's diameter is the measured distance...
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...
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...
coherent fiber bundle
A coherent fiber bundle (CFB), also known as a coherent fiber optic bundle, is an assembly of multiple optical fibers...
phase-shift keying
A method of coding information in a communications system where the shift in the phase of an electromagnetic wave represents...
laserblade scalpel
A contact tip made of artificial sapphire (AlO2) that allows surgeons to use laser power to cut and coagulate tissue...
electric quadrupole lens
A device that uses four electrodes set in an alternating positive-negative polarity series to focus the beams of charged...
electric CO laser
An electrically excited laser having carbon monoxide as the lasing material and in which lasing occurs in a partial...
angstrom
An angstrom, symbolized by the Ångström or Å, is a unit of length used to express atomic and molecular...
phase
In optics and photonics, "phase" refers to a property of electromagnetic waves, such as light, that describes the position...
dust extinction
In atmospheric optics, the almost total blocking of light transmission in the atmosphere due to the scattering and...
facsimile chart
Data gathered by a facsimile system and converted into graphic, readable form; generally used in meteorology. Also known as...
germanium crystal
Germanium crystal refers to a crystalline form of the element germanium (Ge), which is a metalloid and semiconductor...
free-electron laser
A free-electron laser (FEL) is a type of laser that generates coherent, high-intensity electromagnetic radiation by using a...
thin-film semiconductor
A semiconductor formed by applying a particular single-crystal layer to the specific insulator.
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...
CMOS image sensor
A CMOS image sensor, short for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor, is a type of semiconductor device used...
sun synchronous
Characterizes an Earth-orbiting satellite whose orbit plane is near polar and positioned at an altitude that allows it to...
quantum dot light-emitting diode
Quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) is a display technology that utilizes quantum dots, which are semiconductor...
label-free
Label-free refers to a technique or method that does not require the use of additional labels, tags, or markers to detect or...
fiber laser
A fiber laser is a type of laser in which the active gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare-earth ions such as...
collision broadening
The broadening of spectral lines due to the collision of radiating particles with one another and the resulting interruption...
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...
phase screen
A phase screen, in the context of optics and wave optics, refers to a surface or medium that introduces a phase delay to an...
plasma accelerator
A plasma accelerator is a type of particle accelerator that uses electric fields and magnetic fields to accelerate charged...
drift scan
An astronomical scanning technique for capturing images of stars without moving the sensor. To perform a drift scan, a CCD...
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...
solar constant of radiation
Solar radiation intensity existing in free space at the mean solar distance of the Earth. Commonly expressed in g cal...
differential absorption lidar
A lidar (light detection and ranging) technique used in pollution monitoring. Two light beams are emitted simultaneously,...
asynchronous transmission
A mode of data transmission whereby each bit of information is generated separately, with some stop/start code to indicate...
circular dichroism
Circular dichroism (CD) is a spectroscopic technique used to study the structural characteristics of chiral (asymmetric)...
magnetometer
A magnetometer is a scientific instrument used to measure the strength and/or direction of a magnetic field. It can detect...
definition test object
A chart, either printed on paper or prepared photographically on glass plates or film, that consists of 3-bar resolution...
component
1. A constituent part. It may consist of two or more parts cemented together, or with near and approximately matching...
mandrel
A shaft, spindle or any object generally passed through a workpiece to hold, support or shape a particular piece during its...
electrophoresis
The movement of particles or ions in a solution toward the electrode having the opposite sign because of the application of...
Savart polariscope
1. A polariscope consisting of a Savart plate and a tourmaline plate analyzer, and used to produce parallel color fringes by...
image correlation
A machine vision technique that compares a template of the desired image (the correlation kernel) with the actual camera...
crystal quartz
The naturally occurring crystalline form of silicon dioxide. It is slightly birefringent and exhibits rotary dispersion of...
coronagraph
A telescope in which a mask occults the solar disk, generating an artificial eclipse and allowing observation and recording...
scintillation
1. The variation in intensity of a light beam as it travels through the atmosphere. 2. In radiation physics, a light flash...
quantum well
A quantum well is a structure in quantum mechanics that confines particles, such as electrons or holes, in one spatial...
smart skin
Structural surfaces that incorporate an embedded sensor network capable of detecting flaws within the structure.
helium leak detector
A small mass spectrometer used to find leaks in a vacuum system by detecting the presence of helium. Using a magnetic...
three-photon microscopy
Three-photon microscopy is an advanced imaging technique that belongs to the family of multi-photon microscopy methods. It...
aberration sensor (wavefront sensor)
Designed for the function of optical wavefront analysis. Shack-Hartmann camera aberration sensors use a lens array to image...
matrix
With respect to television, that part of a color television circuit that combines the I, Q and Y signals, and changes them...
biomarker
A biomarker, short for biological marker, refers to a measurable and quantifiable indicator of a biological condition,...
photodetector
A photodetector, also known as a photosensor or photodiode, is a device that detects and converts light into an electrical...
blue diode laser
A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...
spectral series
A classification of particular regularities that occur in the spectra of many atoms.
resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance, which is a phenomenon that occurs when an external force or...
neutron drip line
Prediction based on observations of nuclear masses in the valley of stability that indicates the maximum number of electrons...
artificial intelligence
The ability of a machine to perform certain complex functions normally associated with human intelligence, such as judgment,...
deep ultraviolet
Deep ultraviolet (DUV or deep-UV) refers to a specific range of ultraviolet light with shorter wavelengths than those in the...
artificial radioactivity
Radioactivity formed by the bombardment of stable elements by either neutrons or high-energy, charged particles under...
flat-field frame
A frame taken with a CCD camera of a surface that is evenly illuminated by diffuse light. This frame shows irregularities in...
nanophotonics
Nanophotonics is a branch of science and technology that explores the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, typically at...
wide-angle lens
A wide-angle lens is a type of camera lens that has a shorter focal length than a standard or normal lens, allowing it to...
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...
sputtering equipment
Sputtering equipment is machinery used in the process of physical vapor deposition (PVD), specifically sputtering....
gravimeter
An instrument capable of precise measurements of the Earth's gravity. This permits the detection of small changes in local...
photomultiplier tube
A photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a highly sensitive vacuum tube that detects and amplifies low levels of light. It is widely...
interstellar absorption lines
Sharp and narrow absorption lines found in the spectra of stars. They result from the absorption of a part of a star's...
emission spectrum
An emission spectrum is a graphical representation or a characteristic pattern of the wavelengths or frequencies of light...
holographic particle velocimetry
A method of measuring flow velocity by seeding the flow with neutrally buoyant particles and using a pulsed laser to...
penumbra
A source of light will not cast a distinct shadow of an interfering, opaque object, but will cast a shadow having two parts:...
remote inspection
Remote inspection refers to the process of inspecting, evaluating, or monitoring assets, equipment, infrastructure, or...
nitrogen vacancy
A nitrogen vacancy (NV) refers to a specific type of defect or impurity in a crystal lattice where a nitrogen atom replaces...
photon jet
A photon jet is a narrow, highly collimated beam of light that is formed when light interacts with small dielectric...
optical noise
Optical noise refers to undesirable fluctuations or disturbances in an optical signal that can affect the quality or...
half-shade plate
A semicircular, half-wave quartz plate between the polarizer and analyzer. It often is used in forming precision settings...
Fresnel reflection
Fresnel reflection refers to the reflection of light at the interface between two different media with different refractive...
spectral signature
A spectral signature, in the context of remote sensing and spectroscopy, refers to the unique pattern or characteristic...
electromagnon
An electromagnon is a quasiparticle excitation that combines aspects of both magnetism and electric polarization in a...
diurnal aberration
Atmospheric aberration caused by the Earth's rotation; the degree varies from 0 at the poles to a maximum of 0.31 s of arc...
half bandwidth
The term half bandwidth (HBW) generally refers to the width of a spectral band or frequency range at half of its maximum...
laser plasma
A plasma produced by the interaction of an intense laser pulse with a material surface. Production of ionized particle with...
digital holographic microscopy
Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is an advanced imaging technique that combines holography and digital image processing...
polariton
A polariton is a quasiparticle resulting from the strong coupling between photons (light particles) and certain types of...
spectrogram
A chart formed by a spectrograph; the record of the spectral range. See spectrograph.
laser output
The laser output refers to the generated and emitted light produced by a laser system. This output is characterized by...
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...
laser contact tip
A surgical device used to deliver laser light. Specifically,contact tips are made with artificially grown sapphire which is...
phase contrast microscopy
Phase contrast microscopy is an optical microscopy technique that enhances the contrast of transparent and colorless...
laser spark spectroscopy
A method of analysis in which a pulsed laser beam is used to heat a particle, producing a plasma, or laser spark. As the...
diffraction scattering
Elastic scattering that occurs when inelastic processes eliminate particles from the beam.
limiting angle of resolution
The angle subtended by two points or lines that are just far enough apart to be distinguished as separate. The ability of an...
scintillation phosphor
A phosphor that has the ability to convert into light emission a portion of energy lost by ionization when a charged...
crystal diamagnetism
The unusual and anisotropic diamagnetic quality observed in particular crystals such as those composed of bismuth.
optical bench
A support for optical parts comprising a solid bed that permits precise longitudinal movement of one component relative to...
aerial mapping
The use of photographs taken from the air to construct graphic maps and charts of ground surfaces.
optical figure
The amount by which an optical surface deviates from its ideal design value, expressed in wavelengths of light. Optical...
custom lapping and polishing services
Custom lapping and polishing services involve specialized processes used to improve the surface finish and dimensional...
ellipsometry
Ellipsometry is an optical technique used to characterize the properties of thin films and surfaces. It is based on the...
phase matching
Phase matching is a crucial concept in the field of optics, particularly in nonlinear optics and the generation of coherent...
short-arc lamp
A compact high-pressure light source in which an electrical discharge between electrodes spaced no more than 12 mm apart...
Q machine
Device in which contact ionization of atomic particles and thermionic electron emission are used to produce magnetically...
partial coherence theory
Totally coherent radiation is produced by a purely monochromatic point source. In the real world the energy will have a...
hyperspectral imaging
Hyperspectral imaging is an advanced imaging technique that captures and processes information from across the...
fiber optics
The use of thin flexible glass or plastic fibers as wave guides — or "light pipes" — to channel light from one...
optical tweezers
Optical tweezers refer to a scientific instrument that uses the pressure of laser light to trap and manipulate microscopic...
augmented reality
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that integrates digital information, typically in the form of computer-generated...
plane of symmetry
An imaginary plane dividing a body into two parts so that each part is the precise mirror image of the other in the plane of...
nanoimprint lithography
Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a nanolithography technique used for fabricating nanoscale patterns on a substrate. It is a...
blocking material
Pitch, wax, resin or other cement suitable for holding optical parts to a spindle during grinding and polishing processes.
high dynamic range
High dynamic range (HDR) refers to a technology that allows for a broader and more dynamic range of luminosity in visual...
photodynamic inactivation
Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a therapeutic approach that utilizes the combination of light, a photosensitizer, and...
conduction band
A partially filled or empty energy band through which electrons can move easily. The material can therefore carry an...
Rayleigh limit
The restriction of wavefront error to within a quarter of a wavelength of a true spherical surface to assure essentially...
substrate
A substrate refers to a material or surface upon which another material or process is applied or deposited. In various...
electrodeless discharge tube
A device consisting of an airtight quartz tube that holds the material to be analyzed. When a high-frequency electrostatic...
phosphor dots
Very small phosphor particles present on the screen of a picture tube.
output coupler
The partially reflective mirror at the end of the laser cavity that is the source of the beam. It controls the coupling...
rare earth dopants
Rare earth dopants refer to elements from the lanthanide series, also known as rare earth elements, that are intentionally...
holmium
A soft, malleable, stable rare-earth element. Holmium laser systems are used in surgical procedures involving the cutting...
cavity
In a laser, the optical resonator formed by two coaxial mirrors, one totally and one partially reflective, positioned so...
calcium indicator
A calcium indicator is a molecule that is sensitive to changes in calcium ion (Ca2+) concentrations in biological systems....
polarizing coating
A coating made up of particular birefringent materials having polarizing properties. It may be used, in some cases, to...
mode beating
In optics, "mode beating" refers to an interference phenomenon that can occur in laser systems with multiple longitudinal...
airglow
Diffuse light emitted by the atmosphere due to the excitation of particles of atmospheric gas. These excited particles...
ultrasonic cleaning equipment
Ultrasound used in the cleaning of metal and optical parts by virtue of its vibration rates. Large acoustic forces break off...
Kerr soliton
A Kerr soliton refers to a specific type of soliton, a self-reinforcing wave packet, that arises in nonlinear optical...
scattering angle
The angle between the initial and final paths traveled by a scattered particle or photon.
blister
An extended bubble or seed on glass, elliptically shaped and more than one-quarter inch (6.3 mm) in length.
detector array
A detector array refers to a collection of individual detector elements arranged in a two-dimensional grid or matrix format....
scintillation crystal
A scintillation crystal, also known simply as a scintillator, is a material that emits light when it interacts with ionizing...
arc discharge
The electric arc that is a particular discharge between two electrodes in a gas or vapor which is characterized by high...
quantum confinement
Quantum confinement refers to the phenomenon in quantum mechanics where the motion of charge carriers, such as electrons or...
Stokes parameters
The parameters, relative to polarized light and the Poincaré sphere, that are usually represented as: I, the intensity of...
bathymetric map
A surveying map representing measurement of depth, particularly that of the ocean.
zonal aberration
Spherical or chromatic aberration in a lens having a wide aperture. It is present because the refracting power varies for...
volumetric imaging
Volumetric imaging refers to the capture, visualization, and analysis of three-dimensional (3D) information from a volume of...
optical materials
Optical materials refer to substances or compounds specifically chosen for their optical properties and used in the...
rare-earth doped fiber
An optical fiber in which ions of a rare-earth element, such as neodymium, erbium or holmium, have been incorporated into...
Cerenkov radiation
The radiation produced when a charged particle traverses a medium that has a refractive index considerably greater than...
magnetic lens
An arranged series of coils, magnets or electromagnets disposed in such a way that the resulting magnetic fields generate a...
filter
1. With respect to radiation, a device used to attenuate particular wavelengths or frequencies while passing others with...
block
A supporting member used to hold optical parts during grinding and polishing. It also describes the assemblage of optical...
space pattern
On a test chart, the pattern designed to direct and measure geometric distortion.
glitter
The specular reflection of individual parts of a surface.
spectrometric oil analysis
An analytical technique used to determine, identify and localize impending malfunctions. It is based upon quantitative and...
negative-refraction metamaterial
An artificial material, engineered to have a negative refractive index value, such that light or any other form of...
optical bottle
A term referring to an optical force field used to trap and stabilize particles acted upon by a force such as laser light.
signal period
Also referred to as the width of the dark pulse. This is the time interval between the instant the particle approaches the...
intensified charge-coupled device camera
An intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera is an advanced imaging device that combines the capabilities of both an...
neuromorphic
Neuromorphic refers to the design and development of computing systems or devices that are inspired by the structure and...
cartesian
Of or pertaining to the methods of the French philosopher Rene Descartes. Refers to the standard orthogonal X-Y-Z coordinate...
optical switching
Optical switching refers to the process of controlling the routing or transmission of optical signals within a network using...
chelate laser
A laser having a rare-earth chelate within a plastic host as the lasing material. The chelate laser is easily pumped and has...
distal end
The end of an optical fiber farthest from the source of illumination.
gray
1. A measure of absorbed dose, equal to the energy imparted by ionizing radiation to a mass of matter corresponding to 1 J...
current transient
A sudden, brief increase in current or voltage in a circuit that can damage sensitive components and instruments. Preventive...
RTSP protocol
RTSP, or real-time streaming protocol, is a network control protocol designed for controlling streaming media servers. It is...
etching liquid
An acid used to etch the surfaces of particular materials. For glass, hydrofluoric acid is used either as a liquid or a...
water glass
A solution containing colloidal silica particles.
cartesian lens
A lens, one surface being a cartesian oval, that produces an aplanatic condition.
noctovision
A television system used for seeing in the dark, particularly with the use of infrared rays.
flow cytometry
Flow cytometry is a powerful technique used in biology and medicine for the quantitative analysis of the physical and...
nonradiative transition
A nonradiative transition refers to a process in which an electron or an atom undergoes a change in its energy state without...
aplanatic surface
An aplanatic surface is an optical surface that is specifically designed or shaped to minimize spherical aberration and...
deep learning
Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that involves the use of artificial neural networks to model and solve complex...
aerosol
A two-phase system consisting of dispersed liquid or solid particles in a gas; examples include dust, smoke and clouds.
read-write head
That part of a magnetic or optical tape or disc drive that retrieves data from or records data on the recording media.
off-axis paraboloid and ellipsoid mirror
Off-axis paraboloid and ellipsoid mirrors are specialized optical components used in various optical systems, particularly...
optical theorem
A fundamental law of wave scattering theory that connects the extinction cross section of a scatterer to the real part of...
biostimulation
The action of a biological system responding to a single or multiple coherent particles of light produced from a laser...
diode laser
A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light....
analytical photography
The use of photographs -- motion picture or still -- to establish if a particular event exists.
magnetorheological finishing
Magnetorheological finishing (MRF) is a precision optics polishing technique used for shaping and finishing optical surfaces...
legacy fiber
Older fiber optic cable that may not be suitable for state-of-the-art applications and that is difficult for suppliers to...
bi-quartz
A double block formed by placing two adjoining, equally thick sections of quartz, one being dextrorotary, the other...
quartz plate
A crystalline-quartz plate designed according to specifications but having its two major faces parallel.
plasmon ion-assisted deposition
Plasmon ion-assisted deposition (PIAD) is a technique used in thin-film deposition processes, particularly in the production...
resonance
Resonance can be defined in various contexts, including physics, chemistry, and music. Here are definitions for resonance in...
surface error
The departure of an optical surface from its required tolerance or figure.
directed energy
Directed energy refers to a type of energy that is emitted and transferred in a controlled direction. The term is often...
multimode distortion
In an optical waveguide,- typically a multimode fiber - the distortion resulting from differential mode delay, i.e. axial...
rare-earth elements
Rare-earth elements (REEs) are a group of seventeen chemical elements found in the Earth's crust, characterized by their...
nanoparticle
A small object that behaves as a whole unit or entity in terms of it's transport and it's properties, as opposed to an...
reactive evaporation
Reactive evaporation refers to a process in thin-film deposition where a material is deposited onto a substrate through...
optical air mass
A measure of the optical path length for light traveling from the sun or other celestial source through Earth's atmosphere...
epitaxial equipment
Epitaxial equipment refers to a set of specialized tools and systems used in the process of epitaxy, which is the growth of...
machine learning
Machine learning (ML) is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that focuses on the development of algorithms and...
spiral scanning
A scanning process in which the greatest amount of radiation determines part of a spiral motion rotating in one direction.
neuromorphic vision sensor
A neuromorphic vision sensor is a type of imaging device designed to mimic the structure and functioning of the human visual...
cold shield
That part of an infrared detector-Dewar assembly that limits the solid angle viewed by the sensor; it is maintained at a...
Weissenberg method
The Weissenberg method, named after the German physicist Karl Weissenberg, is a technique used in x-ray crystallography for...
bandpass filter
A filter with a transmission that is high for a particular band of frequencies, but that falls to low values above and below...
laser shock adhesion test
A nondestructive test, also referred to as LASAT, that uses a high-energy laser pulse that is targeted on an adhesively...
multiplet
A group of related lines that represent transitions between two spectroscopic terms, each of which may be complex. Also in...
automated optical inspection
Automated optical inspection (AOI) is a technology used in manufacturing processes, particularly in electronics, to...
lateral shearing interferometer
A lateral shearing interferometer is an optical device used in interferometry to measure phase differences between two beams...
Foucault prism
A polarizing prism formed from calcite that is like the Nicol prism but has the two parts divided by a thin air-film and cut...
Descartes ray
The ray refracted by a sphere of transparent material that travels back as closely as possible to the original path formed...
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...
gallium arsenide phosphide
Gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) is a semiconductor alloy composed of gallium (Ga), arsenic (As), and phosphorus (P). It...
feedback
The transfer of a part of a device's or circuit's output back to its input.
dispersion-shifted fiber
A dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF) refers to a type of optical fiber designed to minimize the effects of chromatic dispersion,...
interferometric calorimetry
Heat measurement method in which the sample is made part of the interferometer and the temperature increase is determined by...
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...
diffraction rings
1. The ring patterns of light that seem to encircle particles in the field of a microscope. 2. See Newton's rings.
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...
infrared light source
An infrared light source is a device that emits light in the infrared spectrum, which lies beyond the visible spectrum of...
nuclear track emulsion
A photographic emulsion of the silver-halide type that is used to record the path of a charged traveling particle. The...
metasurfaces
Metasurfaces are two-dimensional arrays of subwavelength-scale artificial structures, often referred to as meta-atoms or...
electro-optic deflection
The effect whereby a light beam is deflected by a birefringent prism when its polarization is changed by voltage applied to...
racemic
Inactive optically, but having the capacity for resolution into forms of opposed optical activity. The term is derived from...
extreme ultraviolet
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) refers to a specific range of electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum....
echelette grating
A diffraction grating with lines and grooves formed so as to concentrate the radiation of a particular wavelength into one...
Dammann grating
A Dammann grating is a type of diffractive optical element (DOE) used to create an array of equally spaced,...
optical element
An optical part constructed of a single piece of optical material. It is usually a single lens, prism or mirror.
embedded laser
The term "embedded laser" typically refers to a laser device that is integrated or embedded into a larger system or...
Gires-Tournois interferometer
An interferometer similar in construction to a Fabry-Perot interferometer but having a rear mirror with high reflectivity,...
whispering gallery mode
Whispering gallery mode (WGM) refers to a phenomenon in wave physics, particularly in optics, where waves, such as light or...
spectrometer
A kind of spectrograph in which some form of detector, other than a photographic film, is used to measure the distribution...
gain-switching
Gain-switching is a technique used in lasers to generate short pulses of light by modulating the gain of the laser medium....
astronomical unit
The unit generally used to express distances within the solar system, and sometimes to measure interstellar distances....
outside vapor-phase oxidation
A process for the production of optical fibers. A glass bait is rotated in a traversing flame of a reaction burner....
ultraviolet reflectance
Ultraviolet reflectance refers to the ability of a material or surface to reflect UV light. Ultraviolet light is...
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a type of material that has electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. In...
prism
A prism is a geometric optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. It is typically a solid, transparent...
Nicol prism
A prism invented by William Nicol in 1828 that is made of calcite, the end faces of which are ground to an angle of 68°...
visual range
The value of the expanse of b-particles in an absorber, evaluated by visual examination of breaks in the absorption curve.
densitometer
1. An instrument used to measure the opacity or density of dyes, pigments or dispersed particles that form an image in or on...
Y axis
1. In a plane Cartesian coordinate system, the vertical axis orthogonal to the X-axis. 2. In a quartz crystal structure, the...
regular transmittance
The part of incident flux that is transmitted with no scattering.
2D profile sensor
A 2D profile sensor is a type of sensor used in various industrial and technological applications to measure and capture...
halogen lamp
A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen, quartz-halogen, or quartz iodine lamp, is an incandescent lamp that uses a...
space charge
A volumetric electrical charge resulting from a flow of charged particles across a gap.
Pellin-Broca prism
A form of dispersing prism, often used in monochromators, that consists of a common right-angle prism with a 30°...
vibrational transition
A vibrational transition refers to a change in the vibrational energy of a molecule. Molecules consist of atoms that are...
laser Doppler velocimeter
Device which determines particle velocity through the measurement of scattered interference of a beam pair from a single...
photobleaching
Photobleaching is a phenomenon in which the fluorescence of a fluorophore (a fluorescent molecule or dye) is permanently...
thyratron
An arc discharge tube having a grid that is used to start the discharge through an atmosphere of inert gas or vapor at low...
alpha particle
A positively charged particle emitted from the nucleus of an unstable isotope, characterized by two protons and two...
antisolar point
The point to which the extension of the straight line, reaching from the sun to the observer's eye after penetrating the...
focused laser scattering
A single-particle scattering technique in which an incident laser beam is tightly focused by means of lenses to yield a...
intravital microscopy
Intravital microscopy is an imaging technique used to visualize biological processes within living organisms, typically in...
ephemeris time
Uniform measure of time based on dynamics law and calculated according to planetary orbital paths; specifically, Earth's...
retroreflector
A retroreflector is an optical device or structure that reflects incident light or electromagnetic waves back to their...
remote sensing
Remote sensing is a method of data collection and observation where information about objects, areas, or phenomena on...
dilation
In image processing, a morphology operator in which a structuring element or probe of a particular shape is moved over the...
neural network
A computing paradigm that attempts to process information in a manner similar to that of the brain; it differs from...
air bearing
A support device in which a column or chamber of air permits the free travel of a mobile part. In optical mounting and...
laser-mediated gene transfer
Laser-mediated gene transfer refers to a technique in molecular biology and genetic engineering that utilizes lasers to...
hyperspectral imaging camera
A hyperspectral imaging camera is a sophisticated imaging device capable of capturing and processing data across a wide...
sputtering target
A sputtering target is a solid material used in the process of physical vapor deposition (PVD), specifically sputtering....
star testing
The visual examination by a trained observer of the image of a point source. Any coloring or departure from the Airy disc...
electrophoretic display
An electrophoretic display, often referred to as an electronic paper display or e-paper display, is a type of electronic...
clinical photography
The application of photography, with the exception of radiography, to obtain pictures of parts or the whole of a patient to...
monolithic lenslet module
An array of refractive microlenses that are round, square and hexagonal and as small as 15 µm. They are used for...
color center
A color center, in the context of materials science and condensed matter physics, refers to a specific type of...
indium gallium arsenide camera
An InGaAs (indium gallium arsenide) camera is a type of imaging device that utilizes InGaAs sensors to capture images in the...
homogeneous cladding
That part of the cladding wherein the refractive index is constant within a specified tolerance, as a function of radius.
lens testing equipment
Lens testing equipment refers to a range of specialized tools and instruments used to evaluate the optical performance,...
ultraprecision cathode-ray tube display
A highly accurate cathode-ray tube used to display information with the utmost efficient stability and resolution. The...
polymerase chain reaction
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a widely used molecular biology technique used to amplify a specific segment of DNA...
meta-optics
Meta-optics, also known as metasurface optics or flat optics, is a branch of optics that involves the design, fabrication,...
GaN-based LEDs
Gallium nitride-based light-emitting diodes (GaN-based LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric...
stimulated Brillouin scattering
In Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS), an incident photon (usually laser light) interacts with acoustic phonons in a...
Kerr effect
The Kerr effect, named after the physicist John Kerr who first observed it in 1875, is a nonlinear optical phenomenon where...
orange peel
In the context of imaging, particularly digital imaging and printing, "orange peel" refers to a texture or visual distortion...
photodielectric effect
The effect, present in particular phosphors, that is defined as a transformation in the dielectric constant of a material...
conical scan sensor
A device used to determine the location and attitude with respect to the Earth of orbiting spacecraft by detecting the...
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...
geometric image
The position and shape of the image of a point source, as predicted by geometric optics alone. The geometric image is to be...
fiber-coupled photoconductive antenna
A fiber-coupled photoconductive antenna (FCPA) is a type of optoelectronic device that combines a photoconductive antenna...
skew angle
The angle at which photoelectric sensors are aligned to prevent light from being reflected back to the sensor from the...
dewetting
Dewetting is a phenomenon in materials science and physics where a thin film or coating spontaneously undergoes a process of...
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...
MSM photodiode
A metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodiode is a type of photodetector that consists of metal electrodes on a semiconductor...
radiophotoluminescence
The luminescence displayed when particular minerals are irradiated with β-rays and g-rays, after being exposed to...
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....
ionosphere
The gas of charged particles that begins approximately 50 km above the surface of the Earth and contains a sufficient...
turbidity
Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by the presence of suspended particles. These...
flasher
A device that is designed to automatically turn electric lamps on and off in a rapidly repeating sequence. The device may...
microheterogeneous systems
Extremely small organic and inorganic systems of molecules within a substance. In general, systems are colloidal size in...
negatron
A negatively charged elementary particle. See electron.
focal length
The focal length of a lens is the distance between the lens's optical center (or principal point) and the image sensor or...
Savart plate
A double-plate device used to transmit polarized light and form interference fringes of the light, thus indicating its...
recombinase polymerase amplification
Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is a molecular biology technique used to rapidly amplify specific DNA or RNA...
fan-in
The simultaneous collection of two or more signals at a single location. In a digital computer, it refers to the number of...
wave plate
An optical element having two principal axes, slow and fast, that resolve an incident polarized beam into two mutually...
cascade method
A heterochromatic photometric process using successive comparison of similar chromaticities and the calculation of relative...
electron
A charged elementary particle of an atom; the term is most commonly used in reference to the negatively charged particle...
resolution target
A chart on paper or glass containing a series of sets of lines at progressively smaller spacing and used to ascertain the...
opal glass
A material consisting of very small colorless particles imbedded in a clear glass matrix. It is available in two forms:...
optical Fourier transform
The optical Fourier transform is a mathematical operation applied to optical signals that involves transforming a spatial...
field of view
The field of view (FOV) refers to the extent of the observable world or the visible area that can be seen at any given...
atom optics
The area of optics in which the wave nature of a particle is exploited to carry out very accurate interferometry and other...
electromagnetic interaction
The interaction of charged particles and electromagnetic fields.
donpisha
A type of asynchronous shutter device that is used particularly in CCD sensor applications to capture an image of a...
Hartmann test
A test for spherical aberration, coma or astigmatism in which incident rays from a point source are isolated by small holes...
oscilloscope
A system in which a supplied signal causes the deflection of the electron beam in a cathode-ray tube, thus forming a visible...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
dioptrics
The branch of optics that deals with the study of the refraction of light, particularly by the transmitting medium of the...
Harting Dove prism
A direct-vision prism made in one piece that can be used only in parallel light.
magneto-optics
Magneto-optics refers to the study and manipulation of the interaction between magnetic fields and light (electromagnetic...
liquid crystal
Liquid crystals are a state of matter that exhibits properties intermediate between those of conventional liquids and solid...
angular spectrum approach
The angular spectrum approach is a mathematical and computational technique used in the field of optics to analyze and...
generating mark
The curved mark formed when, in the process of generating, a loose or coarse diamond particle from the generating tool...
Martens wedge
A wedge-shaped piece of quartz typically found in a polarimeter to monitor and rotate the plane of polarization of plane...
laser strainmeter
An instrument usually consisting of a very long interferometer, 3 to 800 m, and a laser light source for the study and...
CIE source
Standard light source representative of the quality of specified natural or artificial illumination.
laser trapping
A technique for confining atoms, molecules or small particles within one or more laser beams. This can be accomplished...
laser peening
Laser peening is a surface enhancement technique used to improve the mechanical properties of materials, particularly...
Newton's rings
The series of rings or bands formed when light beams reflected from two polished, adjacent surfaces, placed together with a...
colloid
A particle that will not normally diffuse through animal or vegetable membrane. Larger than most inorganic compounds,...
photometry
Photometry is the branch of science that deals with the measurement of light, particularly in terms of its intensity and the...
apogee
The point on an elliptical orbit about the Earth that is the farthest distance from the Earth.
double-clad fiber
Double-clad fiber (DCF) is a specialized optical fiber that features two concentric cladding layers surrounding a core. The...
Sabattier effect
The reversal of a developed image due to the exposure of the partially developed image to actinic light.
alexandrite lasers
An alexandrite laser is a solid-state laser that utilizes a synthetic crystal made from the rare earth element alexandrite...
de Broglie wavelength
The concept of the de Broglie wavelength exploits the wave-particle duality of quantum physics by associating all matter (of...
reflective spectroscopy
Reflectance spectroscopy is a technique used to analyze the reflective properties of materials across various wavelengths of...
vapor degreasing
A method of cleaning and drying coated optical components. The cooled parts are placed in a container above a boiling...
x-ray spectrograph
An instrument that is used to chart x-ray diffraction patterns, such as an x-ray spectrometer having photographic or other...
metabolic imaging
Metabolic imaging refers to the visualization and quantification of metabolic processes within living organisms, tissues, or...
digital camera
A digital camera is a device that captures and records still images or video in digital format. Unlike traditional film...
Baker-Nunn camera
A wide-field camera based on the classic Schmidt optical system used to photograph Earth-orbiting satellites.
Collaborative Robot
Collaborative Robot (Cobot): Unlike traditional autonomous robots, which usually work by themselves, a collaborative robot...
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...
cross section
Calculation of the probability of an interaction between two types of particles, such as light absorption, excitation or...
holography
Holography is a technique used to capture and reconstruct three-dimensional images using the principles of interference and...
surface-enhanced Raman scattering
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful analytical technique that enhances the Raman scattering signal of...
collimation
1. The process of aligning the optical axes of optical systems to the reference mechanical axes or surfaces of an...
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...
emission spectroscopy
A study of the energies and wavelengths of radiation emitted by atoms and molecules when particular physical conditions are...
cascade shower
A shower of cosmic rays whereby a high-energy electron produces one or more photons that convert into electron pairs, the...
shock wave
Interruption in the normal flow of a plasma or fluid characterized by sharp rises in velocity, temperature and pressure. As...
ultraviolet microscopy
The study and photographing of microscope specimens in ultraviolet light; using an optical microscope containing fluorite...
computer-generated hologram
A computer-generated hologram (CGH) is a holographic image produced using computational methods and algorithms, rather than...
lapping
1. The process of wearing down the surface of a softer material by rubbing it under pressure against the surface of a harder...
free radicals
Short-lived molecular or atomic particles, with an unpaired electron, that play an important part in many photochemical...
spectral domain optical coherence tomography
Spectral domain optical coherence tomography is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics, particularly in...
multiconfiguration mode
Used in computer design for optical systems with common parts and different applications.
harmonic generation
Harmonic generation refers to a nonlinear optical process in which incoming photons interact with a material and produce new...
optical character recognition
Optical character recognition (OCR) is a technology that is used to convert printed or handwritten text into...
light diffusion
Light diffusion refers to the process by which light is scattered or spread out in various directions as it interacts with a...
ultraviolet fiber optics
Ultraviolet (UV) fiber optics refers to optical fibers that are designed and optimized for the transmission of ultraviolet...
multi-axis alignment
Multi-axis alignment refers to the process of aligning or adjusting components or systems in multiple spatial dimensions or...
photoresist
Photoresist is a light-sensitive material used in photolithography processes, particularly in the fabrication of...
quantum-ehanced metrology
Quantum-enhanced metrology refers to the use of quantum mechanics principles and techniques to enhance the precision and...
Rayleigh scattering
Rayleigh scattering is a phenomenon that occurs when light waves interact with particles or molecules that are much smaller...
stereoscopic distortion
An exaggerated depth appearance in stereo photographs caused by the lenses in the camera being farther apart than the eyes...
fiber optic imaging bundle
A fiber optic imaging bundle is a specialized optical device composed of multiple optical fibers bundled together. Each...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
attenuation constant
The real part of the axial propagation constant for a particular mode. The attenuation coefficient for the mode power is...
photoelectron holography
A technique proposed for studying the atomic structure of crystals by measuring the interference pattern generated when the...
crystal counter
An instrument that is used to detect high-energy particles by the pulse of the current formed when a particle passes through...
optical axis
The imaginary line passing through both the centers of curvatures of the optical surfaces of a lens or mirror; the optical...
spectral repeatability
Spectral repeatability refers to the consistency and reproducibility of spectral measurements across multiple trials or...
epifluorescence microscopy
Fluorescence imaging technique in which the excitation light from the objective is directed into the sample producing...
starting voltage
In a laser, the voltage necessary to initiate electrical discharge, somewhat higher than that needed to sustain it.
optofluidics
Optofluidics is an interdisciplinary field that combines principles from optics and fluidics to create devices and systems...
cesium 134
An isotope of cesium that emits negative beta particles and has a half-life of 2.19 years; its applications include...
flexible display
A flexible display refers to a type of electronic visual display that is designed to be bendable, foldable, or rollable,...
photovoltaic cell
A photovoltaic cell, commonly known as a solar cell, is a semiconductor device that directly converts light energy into...
lambda services
Term for service offered by a vendor who leases a particular wavelength to a customer through DWDM technology. Lambda...
laser guide star
An artificial star used to aid in adaptive optics imaging of the sky. The guide star is provided from a telescope system on...
structural color
Structural color refers to coloration in materials that is not caused by pigments or dyes but is instead a result of the...
ducting
Propagation of electromagnetic waves through the Earth's atmosphere in a path that conforms to the curvature of the Earth...
solar wind
The constant outward flow of weakly magnetized plasma from the sun that is deflected by the magnetic field of the earth and,...
annihilation radiation
Gamma ray radiation released when matter and antimatter, such as electron and positron, unite and eliminate each other,...
inverse bremsstrahlung
Collisional absorption of energy that occurs in inertial confinement fusion systems when hydrodynamic expansion of the...
thematic mapper
An instrument used to record infrared images of large areas. The recorded data are used to produce maps in false color...
embedded vision
Embedded vision refers to the integration of computer vision technologies into various embedded systems, devices, or...
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...
visibility meter
1. An instrument used to determine the visual range in an environment. 2. A type of photometer that artificially reduces an...
blocking tool
An instrument used to support optical parts to be cemented, or to be mounted in plaster.
electron multiplication charge-coupled device camera
An EMCCD (electron-multiplying charge-coupled device) camera is a type of scientific camera specifically designed for...
inside vapor-phase oxidation
A method that produces low-loss optical fibers. A glass tube rotates while reactants pass through the tube and heat is...
dust counter
An instrument that uses a photoelectric system to determine the size and volume of dust particles in a given unit of air.
planar access coupler
Low-insertion-loss fiber coupler fabricated from a sheet of light-sensitive material laminated onto a fused quartz substrate...
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter...
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...
isolator
In the context of electronics and optics, an isolator refers to a device that allows the transmission of signals in one...
sine wave testing chart
A test chart whose luminance changes uniformly in one direction according to a sinusoidal rule. These charts carry groups of...
Senarmont compensator
A type of compensator for use with a microscope and consisting of a quarter-wave plate in a fixed position and a rotatable...
laser ablation
Laser ablation is a process that involves the removal or erosion of material from a target surface using laser energy. This...
micro-optics
Micro-optics refers to the design, fabrication, and application of optical components and systems at a microscale level....
phototheranostics
Phototheranostics, a portmanteau of "photo" (light), "therapy," and "diagnostics," refers to an emerging field that combines...
atomic emission spectrometry
Spectrometric analysis of the distinct and characteristic spectra of atoms of elements. The atoms are energized to emit...
laser lithotripsy
Laser lithotripsy is a medical procedure that uses laser energy to break down or fragment stones in various parts of the...
self-phase modulation
Self-phase modulation (SPM) is a nonlinear optical phenomenon that occurs when an intense laser beam passes through a...
entrainment
The movement of particulate material by flowing gas or liquid.
long-wave infrared
Long-wave infrared (LWIR) refers to a specific range of the infrared spectrum. Infrared radiation is divided into three main...
scintillation spectrometry
The method of determining the energy distribution of high-speed charged particles by the luminous effect formed when the...
piezoelectric effect
The interaction between electrical and mechanical stress-strain factors in a material. When piezoelectric crystal is...
extraterrestrial radiation
Radiation that is emitted by a source outside the Earth and its atmosphere.
artificial pupil
iris or adjustable radially symmetric opening used for allowing the passage of useful light
feret's diameter
In microscopy, the measured distance between theoretical parallel lines that are drawn tangent to the particle profile and...
laser cloud mapper
A scanning laser radar system applied to transmission and concentration analysis in three dimensions of clouds as well as...
blur circle
A blur circle refers to the out-of-focus region in an image captured by an optical system. When an object in a scene is not...
light filter
A homogeneous optical medium or coating that transmits only in particular regions of the spectrum. It is used to change or...
mass spectrometry
An instrumental technique that utilizes the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles as recorded from a mass spectrometer...
silicon monoxide
A material used as a protective layer on an aluminized or silvered mirror. It is evaporated on the mirror as a thin layer,...
internet of things
The internet of things (IoT) refers to a network of interconnected physical devices, vehicles, appliances, and other objects...
outgassing
The emission of gas or de-aeration due to thermal variations and often occurring in a vacuum. In a cleanroom, contamination...
tetartohedral crystal
The section of crystal symmetry having only one-quarter of the greatest number of faces permitted by the crystal system of...
laser desorption
A process of forming ions within a given molecular species by incident laser light. The molecular species may remain intact,...
carbon arc
An electric discharge between two carbon rods that are touched together to start the arc and then separated slightly. The...
pyroelectric pulse detector
A current-source thermal detector used to detect and study the pulses obtained from particular lasers.
chirped-pulse amplification
Chirped pulse amplification (CPA) is a technique used in laser physics to amplify ultrashort laser pulses to high energies...
nuclear fusion
In physics, nuclear fusion refers to the process in which two atomic nuclei come together to form a heavier nucleus,...
fluorescent protein
Fluorescent proteins are proteins that exhibit the property of fluorescence, which is the ability to absorb light at a...
aplanatic points
Aplanatic points refer to specific points in an optical system where certain aberrations, such as spherical aberration or...
Cerenkov counter
An instrument that detects high-energy charged particles by analysis of the Cerenkov radiation that they emit.
phototoxicity
Phototoxicity refers to the harmful effects caused by exposure to light, particularly intense or ultraviolet (UV) light, on...
multiple wavelength interferometry
A specific form of phase shifting interferometry - commonly referred to as multiple wavelength phase shifting interferometry...
aspect of image
The particular orientation of the image, such as normal, canted, inverted or reverted.
optical comparator
Typically used for the examination of manufactured or engineered parts, an optical gauging device, in which a backlight is...
group velocity
For a particular mode, the reciprocal of the rate of change of the phase constant with respect to angular frequency.
monoergic
Pertaining to radiation or particle emission, whereby the emission is produced with minimal energy spread.
magnon
A magnon is a quasiparticle representing a quantized spin wave in a magnetic material. In other words, it is a collective...
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...
Christiansen effect
The monochromatic transparency effect produced by the immersion of a finely powdered substance (e.g., glass or quartz) into...
smart bomb
A bomb guided to its target by some form of electro-optical system.
scalar diffraction theory
Scalar diffraction theory is a simplified approach used to describe the propagation of electromagnetic waves, particularly...
sustaining voltage
In a laser, the voltage necessary to sustain a constant operating current, somewhat less than that needed for start-up.
radioactivity detector
An instrument used to detect radioactive materials: alpha particles or helium nuclei; beta particles or free electrons; and...
computer numerically controlled grinding
Computer numerically controlled (CNC) grinding is a manufacturing process that utilizes computerized controls and precision...
resonance radiation
That radiation emitted by an atom or molecule that has the same frequency as that of an incident particle; e.g., a photon....
Fried length
The length of the small space within which the atmosphere exhibits coherence, particularly in relation to an observer on...
organic dye laser
A laser having a lasing material that is a fluorescing organic dye. Depending on the dye used, it can produce emission in...
window
1. A piece of glass with plane parallel surfaces used to admit light into an optical system and to exclude dirt and...
object
The figure seen through or imaged by an optical system. It may contain structures, natural or artificial, or it may be the...
polarization
Polarization refers to the orientation of oscillations in a transverse wave, such as light waves, radio waves, or other...
linar
Celestial point sources that emit specific wavelengths of radiation that appear on spectral charts as narrow lines. The term...
electron-beam lithography system
An electron-beam lithography (EBL) system is a sophisticated nanofabrication tool used in the semiconductor industry and...
quantum cascade laser
A quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics....
aspheric mirror
An aspheric mirror is an optical mirror surface that deviates from the shape of a perfect sphere, having a non-spherical...
near-infrared spectroscopy
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive analytical technique that uses the near-infrared region of the...
flash photographic density filter
A filter, partially opaque to near-ultraviolet, visible and infrared radiation, that may be made by exposing and processing...
occluder
A device that completely or partially restricts the amount of light reaching the eye.
short-wave radiation
Characterizes the significant solar radiation at the surface of the earth, so named because its spectral range extends only...
cleanroom
An area in which airborne particulates can be monitored and controlled so that given size particles do not exceed a...
speckle pattern
A power intensity pattern produced by the mutual interference of partially coherent beams that are subject to minute...
autoguider
A CCD sensor that provides feedback to the motion control system for a telescope, allowing the telescope to follow a...
magnetic spectrograph
An electron system using the effect of a constant magnetic field on electron paths to differentiate electrons that have...
selective laser melting
Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that belongs to the powder bed...
differential interference contrast microscopy
Differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, also known as Nomarski interference contrast microscopy, is an optical...
degrees of freedom
The number of unique ways in which a part can move in an alignment system. In static alignment, there are six: one in the...
atomic scattering factor
The efficiency of scattering by an atom in a particular direction, expressed as: where AA is the amplitude of the wave from...
microscope stage
The component of a microscope on which the sample or slide to be examined is placed. Depending on the design of the...
residual blue
The optical phenomenon in which white light dispersed by small particles in suspension appears blue when viewed through a...
accelerometer
An accelerometer is a sensor or transducer that measures the rate of change of velocity of an object, or in simpler terms,...
fluorescence lifetime imaging
Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) is an advanced imaging technique that provides information about the lifetime of...
Brillouin scattering
Brillouin scattering is a phenomenon in physics where an incident electromagnetic wave (usually light) interacts with...
horizon detector
An infrared device used in satellites and rockets to determine a heat horizon for the Earth at altitudes (above 200 miles)...
beam
1. A bundle of light rays that may be parallel, converging or diverging. 2. A concentrated, unidirectional stream of...
cross wire
Fine lines, wires or threads used in the focal plane of many optical instruments to point out and locate particular objects...
zodiacal light
The sunlight that extends to the earth after scattering from other solar bodies, mostly from meteorite dust of radii...
freeform optics
Freeform optics refers to the design and fabrication of optical surfaces that do not follow traditional symmetric shapes,...
aphelion
The point of a planet or comet's orbit that is farthest from the sun.
quantum key distribution
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a method of secure communication that utilizes principles from quantum mechanics to...
cell
1. A single unit in a device for changing radiant energy to electrical energy or for controlling current flow in a circuit....
axial vapor-phase deposition
A vapor-phase oxidation process for fabricating graded-index optical fibers. It differs from outside vapor phase deposition...
laser-excited Shpol'skii spectroscopy
A type of fluorescence spectroscopy in which an excimer laser, a dye laser and a frequency-doubling device are used to...
contour projection chart
A large-scale, precise drawing of the contours of a perfect mechanical part, often with plus and minus tolerances drawn or...
spherical aberration
Spherical aberration is an optical aberration that occurs when light rays passing through a lens or curved optical surface...
digital twin
A digital twin refers to a virtual representation or digital counterpart of a physical object, system, or process. This...
Pockels
In optics, the Pockels effect refers to the phenomenon where the refractive index of a material changes in response to an...
phase velocity
For a particular mode in a waveguide, the ratio of the angular frequency to constant phase.
green block
A porous ceramic substance that is ground to a given optical form and on which a polished plate of glass is sagged by heat...
optical manufacturing tools and machinery
Optical manufacturing tools and machinery encompass a wide range of equipment, instruments, and systems used in the...
Brownian motion
The behavior of microscopic solid particles suspended in a fluid, first observed by botanist Robert Brown in 1827 as a...
Stark effect
The splitting or shifting of spectral lines or energy levels caused by the application of a strong transverse electrical...
chirality
Chirality is a property of certain molecules and objects in which they are non-superimposable on their mirror images. In...
equatorial mount
A telescope stand equipped with a polar axis that can be set parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation and a declination axis...
charge-injection device
A charge-injection device (CID) refers to a class of devices that manipulate and detect electrical charge within a...
Mie scattering
Mie scattering, named after the German physicist Gustav Mie, refers to the scattering of electromagnetic radiation (such as...
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...
photofabrication
The use of photoetching techniques to produce small tools, parts and dies from sheet metal.
retroreflection
Retroreflection is a phenomenon in optics where light is reflected back toward its source, typically in a direction nearly...
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...
spectrochemical equipment
Equipment used for chemical analysis by investigation of the spectra formed and observed in chemical activity. Of particular...
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...
reflectance confocal microscopy
Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a non-invasive imaging technique that allows for high-resolution, in vivo imaging...
nanotechnology
The use of atoms, molecules and molecular-scale structures to enhance existing technology and develop new materials and...
rare-earth type glass
Optical glasses containing the oxides of rare earths such as lanthanum to impart a very high refractive index combined with...
zeta particle
The difference in electrokinetic potential between the stationary liquid connected to a solid phase surface and the mobile...
interference filter
A filter that controls the spectral composition of transmitted energy partially by the effects of interference. Frequently,...
Fabry-Perot method
A means of determining a prism's index of refraction by placing the prism so that its emergent face is perpendicular to the...
pixel
A pixel, short for "picture element," is the smallest controllable element of a digital image or display. It is a...
optical memory
1. The direct storage of data as bits in memory using optical systems and properties. The memory makes use of a laser beam...
blank
A piece of glass, quartz or other transparent material formed roughly by molding or cutting into the approximate shape and...
laser sintering
Laser sintering is an additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that involves using a laser to selectively fuse...
Angstrom coefficient
The coefficient Å in Angstrom's formula for the dispersing coefficient for dust present in the atmosphere. The formula...
oculometer
An electro-optical infrared tracker consisting of a beamsplitter, an illuminating source, an image dissector tube and an...
flyback
The time it takes a cathode-ray tube's electron beam to return to its starting point after completing one line, one field or...
Tyndall effect
The effect by which sufficiently small particles will scatter blue light at right angles to the incident beam. This...
lock-in amplifier
A lock-in amplifier is a specialized electronic instrument used to extract and measure small signals embedded in noise or...
pixel binning
Pixel binning, also known as pixel merging or pixel combining, is a technique used in digital imaging and camera technology....
Raman effect
When light is transmitted through matter, part of the light is scattered in random directions. A small part of the scattered...
halo
1. The faintly hued ring that is seen to surround a light source viewed through fog or light clouds. The size of scattering...
liquid marble
Liquid marble refers to a unique form of microscale liquid encapsulation, where small droplets of liquid are coated with a...
adaptive optics
Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of...
oleophobic
Oleophobic is a term used to describe substances or materials that repel or resist oils. The word oleophobic comes from the...
photonic integrated circuit
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a compact and integrated device that incorporates multiple photonic components and...
secondary color
An aberration that remains after primary color is corrected. Primary color causes the back focus of a lens to vary with...
carbonization
Carbonization is a process in which organic materials are heated in the absence of air, leading to the decomposition of the...

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