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atmosphere Dictionary Terms

adaptive optics
Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of...
Rayleigh scattering
Rayleigh scattering is a phenomenon that occurs when light waves interact with particles or molecules that are much smaller...
Fried's seeing parameter
A calculated function that can be achieved experimentally with interferometric analysis of complex atmospheric altitude;...
optical air mass
A measure of the optical path length for light traveling from the sun or other celestial source through Earth's atmosphere...
transversely excited atmosphere carbon dioxide laser
Abbreviated TEA CO2 laser. A gas laser that provides shorter pulses and higher peak powers than conventional CO2 lasers. The...
infrared detector
An infrared detector is a device that is used to detect and measure infrared radiation, which lies beyond the visible...
atmospheric optics
The analysis of the properties of radiation, such as light, when acted upon by variations in the atmosphere. Blue and red...
infrared window
1. A thin parallel plate of material that transmits in the infrared region. See infrared optical material. 2. A spectral...
chemosphere
Also known as mesosphere. A level of the atmosphere, extending from the stratosphere to the ionosphere, that is noted for...
fused quartz and silica
Fused quartz and silica are closely related materials, both composed primarily of silicon dioxide (SiO2), but they are...
torr
A unit of pressure of 1 mm Hg, equivalent to 133 P. One atmosphere = 760 torr. (t).
airglow
Diffuse light emitted by the atmosphere due to the excitation of particles of atmospheric gas. These excited particles...
aurora
The strongest light emitted by the Earth's upper atmosphere. It most often can be viewed in the Arctic as the aurora...
photochemical
The term photochemical pertains to chemical processes or reactions that are initiated or influenced by the absorption of...
Mie scattering
Mie scattering, named after the German physicist Gustav Mie, refers to the scattering of electromagnetic radiation (such as...
low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit (LEO) refers to a region in space that is relatively close to Earth's surface, typically characterized by...
mutual coherent function
A function that quantifies the performance degradation of coherent communications systems, imaging systems and all systems...
antisolar point
The point to which the extension of the straight line, reaching from the sun to the observer's eye after penetrating the...
McClatchey model
Calculation of gas and aerosol transmission and emission characteristics for several model atmospheres, including two model...
dust extinction
In atmospheric optics, the almost total blocking of light transmission in the atmosphere due to the scattering and...
extraterrestrial radiation
Radiation that is emitted by a source outside the Earth and its atmosphere.
scintillation
1. The variation in intensity of a light beam as it travels through the atmosphere. 2. In radiation physics, a light flash...
long-wave infrared
Long-wave infrared (LWIR) refers to a specific range of the infrared spectrum. Infrared radiation is divided into three main...
mirage
The distortion of an object's true image as the result of abnormal atmospheric disturbances along the path traveled by the...
remote sensing
Remote sensing is a method of data collection and observation where information about objects, areas, or phenomena on...
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...
ducting
Propagation of electromagnetic waves through the Earth's atmosphere in a path that conforms to the curvature of the Earth...
Monte Carlo simulation
Simulation of radiative transfer in which each photon is generated by a source and its path through the medium is...
extreme ultraviolet
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) refers to a specific range of electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum....
free-space optics
Free-space optics (FSO), also known as optical wireless communication or optical wireless networking, refers to the...
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...
mid-infrared camera
A mid-infrared camera is a type of imaging device designed to capture images in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range,...
atmospheric attenuation
The reduction in luminance of a light beam due to absorption and scattering as it passes through the atmosphere.
superior mirage
An image of an object that appears above the object's true position as the result of abnormal refraction of the image rays...
transversely excited atmosphere laser
Also known as TEA laser. A coherent optical source with a wide wavelength range in the infrared, visible and ultraviolet...
standard refraction
The refraction that would take place in an idealized atmosphere where the refractive index is reduced uniformly with height...
optical phase distortion
Optical phase distortion refers to a phenomenon where the phase of an optical wavefront is altered as it propagates through...
color aging test
A test used to measure the degree of fading of different colored materials, especially those involving organic dyes, which...
atmospheric inhomogeneities
Localized variations in the purity and the index of refraction of the atmosphere.
millibar (mbar)
A unit of pressure, one-thousandth of a bar, equivalent to 100 Pascal and 0.75 torr. One atmosphere equals 1013 mbar.
inferior mirage
A mirage that consists of an image of an object appearing below its true position as the result of abnormal refraction by...
gas-transport laser
A gas laser wherein the gas mixture is not exhausted into the atmosphere but is continually recycled. It is excited in the...
Angstrom coefficient
The coefficient Å in Angstrom's formula for the dispersing coefficient for dust present in the atmosphere. The formula...
atmospheric turbulence
Irregularities and disturbances in the atmosphere that are of particular interest because they induce random temporal and...
Dobson spectrophotometer
A spectrophotometer that measures the amount of ozone in the atmosphere through a comparison of solar energy at two...
suprathermal ion detector
A mass spectrometer used to detect ions formed by photo- and charge-exchange ionization of gases, such as those in the lunar...
Fried length
The length of the small space within which the atmosphere exhibits coherence, particularly in relation to an observer on...
balloon-borne astronomical system
Any instrument or system carried by a balloon to the upper atmosphere to measure and record atmospheric information, such as...
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...
atmospheric window
A range of wavelengths within which radiation transmitted through the atmosphere suffers relatively little absorption by...
deliquescent
Description of a material, such as a water-soluble salt, that will continue absorbing moisture from the surrounding...
mask spectrometer
Instrument that uses absorption spectroscopy to detect gases in planetary atmospheres. Dispersed incoming radiation is...

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