A frequency comb is a precise and regular series of equally spaced spectral lines, or frequencies, that are generated with great accuracy. The term "frequency comb" is often associated with the Nobel Prize-winning technique known as frequency comb...

An instrument usually consisting of a very long interferometer, 3 to 800 m, and a laser light source for the study and...

A ghost image that has the reverse lightness relations of the original image. This phenomenon is a common optical illusion...

The forming of a clear silhouette of an object by placing a light source behind it. Used in machine vision when surface...

A microscope that uses a flying spot scanner, directed through the eyepiece, as a light source to determine the features of...

Light produced by visible radiation that moves from the light source to the object without reflection. With respect to...

A means of adjusting the sharpness of an image automatically, with a sensor for estimating distance or contrast and a drive...

Wide-field fluorescence microscopy uses either naturally occurring structures or staining with fluorescent tags that are...

An arc lamp that has its cavity filled with krypton to produce a light source with unique characteristics.

Reflectance spectroscopy is a technique used to analyze the reflective properties of materials across various wavelengths of...

An optical instrument for forming the spectrum of a light source and recording it on a film. The dispersing medium may be a...

The term "embedded laser" typically refers to a laser device that is integrated or embedded into a larger system or...

A quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics....

A fiber optic spectrometer is a device used for measuring the spectral content of light. It utilizes optical fibers to...

A mirror employed with a very high incidence angle to form a pair of coherent light sources by reflection, and therefore...

A reference incandescent light source having a luminous intensity that is used in photometry for comparison of other light...

FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrometer is a powerful analytical instrument used to obtain an infrared spectrum of...

A stationary noise that occurs for visible light photodetection when a steady light source, such as a heterodyne reference...

Chip-on-board (COB) lights refer to a type of LED lighting technology where multiple LED chips are directly mounted onto a...

A near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer is an analytical instrument used to measure the absorption, transmission, or reflection...

Brightfield refers to a type of microscopy and imaging technique in which the specimen is illuminated with a white light...

An optical filter is a device that selectively transmits or blocks specific wavelengths, or colors, of light. Optical...

A photomask, also known simply as a mask or reticle, is a key component in the photolithography process used in...

Photographic recording that uses infrared radiation as the light source to form an image of a microscopic object and a...

A device composed of a light source and phototube used to scan a moving strip of material in photoelectric side-register...

Photoelastic equipment and supplies refer to instruments and materials used in photoelasticity, a technique used to analyze...

A lamp used in projection that is made with a reflector built into the bulb, normally by coating a portion of its interior...

An optical barcode reader, commonly known as a barcode scanner, is a device that uses optical technology to capture and...

Characterizes a substance whose plane of polarization is rotated counterclockwise as the observer looks through the material...

A colorimeter is a device used to measure and quantify the color characteristics of an object or a light source. It provides...

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive analytical technique that uses the near-infrared region of the...

An instrument that reads alphabetic, numerical and special characters by means of a photosensor that measures the varying...

Fluorescence lifetime refers to the average time it takes for a fluorophore, a molecule that absorbs light at one wavelength...

A lumen is a unit of measurement used to quantify the amount of luminous flux, which is the perceived power of light. In...

Retroreflection is a phenomenon in optics where light is reflected back toward its source, typically in a direction nearly...

A lamp whose output can be traced to a standard light source.

An inorganic compound, yellow to orange in color, that fluoresces strongly enough when bombarded by a high-current-density...

The laser output refers to the generated and emitted light produced by a laser system. This output is characterized by...

A device that is used to determine the index of refraction of a gas or liquid through the interference patterns formed by...

The formation of an interferogram by means of two holograms on the same recording medium, often used for determining small...

In optics, an octave typically refers to a range of frequencies or wavelengths that spans a factor of 2. In other words,...

An optical recording technique that uses light source(s), a beamsplitting cube, light detector(s) and an optical fiber...

A device used to compare the luminous intensities of two sources by locating a point between the two light sources where the...

A light source made up of silicon carbide or carborundum. It is resistant to the negative temperature coefficient and...

A medical technology that uses lasers or other light sources in combination with photosensitizing drugs to treat cancerous...

The term reflective is an adjective that describes the ability of a surface or material to reflect light or other forms of...

A light therapy that utilizes nonionizing light sources, including lasers, LEDs, and broadband light, in the visible and...

Holography is a technique used to capture and reconstruct three-dimensional images using the principles of interference and...

A solar simulator is a device used to replicate the spectrum and intensity of sunlight in a controlled environment for...

A 2D profile sensor is a type of sensor used in various industrial and technological applications to measure and capture...

A television system designed to obtain pictures of objects or scenes beneath the surface of the water. Generally, a...

Agents used for testing light sources and natural daylight with visual and instrumental assessment using a set of white...

A source made to glow by electrons that are produced either electrically or by isotopes of various elements.

The luminous flux emitted by a light source in all directions.

The generic term applied to all sources of visible radiation from burning matter to ionized vapors and lasers, regardless of...

A hologram in which the image of an object, or the object itself, is located near the hologram recording plane, for optimum...

Location on the CIE chromaticity diagram which produces the color white for a given light source at a specified temperature.

A form of photometric measurement, often used with light sources that are transparent or fluctuating, in which a...

An electric or electronic device that regulates the voltage going to a light source as a means of varying the intensity of...

A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...

1. The faintly hued ring that is seen to surround a light source viewed through fog or light clouds. The size of scattering...

The displacement of spectrum lines, as determined by the increasing distance between, and the relative velocity of, the...

A method of measuring distance by recording a single scene from two points of perspective. Surveying instruments can be...

1.) Generally, the electromagnetic spectrum within the wavelength region extending from the vacuum ultraviolet at 40 nm to...

Ray tracing is a rendering technique used in computer graphics to simulate the way light interacts with objects in a scene....

A precision-engineered microminiature light source that is safe for darkroom use, yet emits a beam of light bright enough to...

The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The...

A device, also called a fluorescence lifetime instrument, that measures decay curves of fluorescing samples. It generally...

A lamp that has mercury in a tube or bulb that has first been evacuated. The electricity travels through the vapor between...

A galvanometric scanner, also known as a galvanometer scanner or galvo scanner, is a type of optical scanning device used to...

With respect to display systems, a device that uses an independent light source and a control-layer medium, the active...

An image intensifier, also known as an image intensification tube or image intensification device, is a specialized...

An infrared light source is a device that emits light in the infrared spectrum, which lies beyond the visible spectrum of...

A lamp with a quartz envelope that transmits radiation generally rich in the ultraviolet.

A compact high-pressure light source in which an electrical discharge between electrodes spaced no more than 12 mm apart...

A tube containing mercury vapor and lined with a phosphor. When current is passed through the vapor the strong ultraviolet...

A photometer that uses a wedge, marked to show its reduction of flux density, to make two light sources equal in intensity...

Gallium nitride-based light-emitting diodes (GaN-based LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric...

LiFi, short for light fidelity, is a wireless communication technology that utilizes visible light or infrared light to...

A light source that emits an uneven distribution of radiant energy through the visible range.

The principle stating that the displacement of spectrum lines is determined by the distance between, and relative velocity...

The electrical power used to stimulate any light source. Power supplies may be step-up or step-down transformers; rectifiers...

A fiber optic bundle split along its length with the ends of the fibers extending separately to illuminate different points...

An LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...

In present usage, especially for spectroscopic identification, an arc between electrodes that serves as a radiation source....

A system designed with a laser as a light source and a means for producing sound waves extending beyond 100 MHz to deflect...

An atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) is an analytical instrument used to determine the concentration of specific chemical...

A light source that does not fluctuate despite temperature changes.

The use of a microscope in photographing objects. A device for photomicrography includes a light source, microscope and...

1. With respect to angular subtense, a source of light, such as a star, that is very small. In a lab, a point source may be...

A fiber-coupled LED (light-emitting diode) refers to an LED device that is optically coupled to an optical fiber for the...

Illumination in which the light source is imaged at the object.

Metamerism that occurs when the light source is changed.

A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light....

A common technique in microscopy, oblique illumination is one in which the object is illuminated by a light source that is...

Also known as real holographic image. The indistinct, highly distorted image produced on the side of the hologram closest to...

A light source that produces an equal-energy spectrum.

In fiber optic communications, a light source whose beam can be modulated and sent along an optical fiber, and the...

A distributed feedback laser (DFB laser) is a type of semiconductor laser diode designed to emit coherent, narrow-bandwidth...

Photochromic refers to a property exhibited by certain materials, typically organic compounds or dyes, which undergo...

A lamp that yields a nonluminous flame; used in the spectroscopic analysis of radiation emitted by a substance placed in the...

A light source that is capable of producing radiation with waves vibrating in phase. The laser is an example of a coherent...

A spectroradiometer is a device used to measure the intensity of light at different wavelengths across the electromagnetic...

An optical testing instrument is a device or system used to evaluate and measure the performance, quality, and...

An autocollimator is an optical instrument used for measuring small angular deviations with high precision. It operates on...

Fluorescence is a type of luminescence, which is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other...

1. A framelike structure that serves to restrict the viewing area of the screen when placed before a television picture...

Transparent media which, when placed in front of a light source, change their color as a result of the selective absorption...

A very uncommon lamp in which a tungsten electrode is heated to incandescence by a radio-frequency electrical current.

Relative to a light source, the frequency at which the source appears to fluctuate in light intensity half the time and...

A discharge tube filled with various gases and used as a source in spectroscopy.

An electronic flash tube in which the flash recurs at a frequency extending to many thousands per second. A stroboscopic...

Standard light source representative of the quality of specified natural or artificial illumination.

A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...

A monochromator is an optical instrument used to isolate and select a narrow range of wavelengths from a broader spectrum of...

Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a non-invasive optical technique used to detect changes in blood volume in tissues. It...

A quantitative measurement of the coherence of a light source; equal to the visibility (V) of the fringes of a two-beam...

The average luminous intensity of a point light source measured over all directions.

Light diffusion refers to the process by which light is scattered or spread out in various directions as it interacts with a...

Fiber optic cable in which the arrangement of fibers within the bundle has been made random so that output light will be...

An interferometer that uses a laser as its light source. The purely monochromatic nature of the laser results in improved...

A holographic camera, also known as a holographic imaging system or holographic recorder, is a specialized device used to...

A light source, such as the sun or an incandescent lamp, that freely penetrates ordinary glass bulbs and emits in the...

An interference microscope that uses a light beam originating from a low-coherence light source. The sample is placed in one...

The light formed by visible radiation that, in traveling from light source to object, undergoes one or more reflections. In...

The process whereby sound waves are employed to form a three-dimensional image of an object. The process involves generally:...

An electronic flash tube capable of repeated operation at hundreds or thousands of flashes per second for long periods.

Image displacement by a decentered lens, rotated on a chuck whose axis of rotation passes through the geometrical center of...

Any material that derives its energy from chemically or electrically induced reactions; isotope or radium excitation is used...

An aperture, usually rectangular in shape, with a large length-to-width ratio, and a fixed or adjustable shape through which...

The method by which photographic film is scanned by an electron beam. One technique uses the uniform light of a television...

An optical instrument consisting of a well- corrected objective lens or mirror with a light source and or object/image (i.e....

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...

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics and biomedical research to obtain...

Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is a nondestructive analytical technique used to investigate the optical properties...

An instrument that employs the interference of lightwaves to measure the accuracy of optical surfaces; it can measure a...

Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) is an advanced imaging technique that provides information about the lifetime of...

A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic...

A holographic grating is a type of diffraction grating that is produced using holographic recording techniques. It consists...

A sensitometer that utilizes an electronic flashtube or a photoflash lamp as both the light source and the shutter for...

A complete unit containing a light source, globe, reflector, housing, socket and other necessary components for lighting.

A factor that, when multiplied by the average candlepower emitted by a light source in a specified angular zone, reveals the...

A device designed to concentrate and direct a light source by enclosing the source in it and using a concave reflector to...

The average intensity of a light source measured over all directions.

An LED (light-emitting diode) is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...

An optical medical instrument that uses an intense, precisely focused beam of light to stop weakened blood vessels from...

A device using the Kerr effect to read back the signals from mechanically recorded tapes and discs. It consists of a light...

The study and interpretation of the spectra of substances after they have absorbed the radiant energy emitted by a brief,...

Also referred to as a funduscope, an ophthalmoscope is a specialized instrument used by ophthalmologists for observing and...

The use of photoelectric sensors to detect and measure the intensity of a light source. This application, as compared to...

A device that couples a light source to an optical fiber by projecting an image of the source and the fiber core onto a...

An electric discharge lamp in which the conducting vapor is that of metallic sodium instead of the usual mercury. It emits a...

Phototherapy is a medical treatment that involves the use of light to treat various conditions, particularly those related...

An otoscope is a medical device used by healthcare professionals, particularly ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists,...

Supercontinuum refers to a broad spectrum of light that spans a wide range of wavelengths, typically from the visible to the...

An incandescent or carbon arc lamp designed with a stable and compact arc or filament that permits it to be used as a light...

A synchrotron is a type of particle accelerator that uses magnetic fields to steer charged particles, typically electrons or...

Polarization refers to the orientation of oscillations in a transverse wave, such as light waves, radio waves, or other...

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive neuroimaging technique that measures changes in hemoglobin...

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique used in medical and scientific fields to capture...

An imaging device originally created to image whole mouse brain volumes at microscopic resolution. The main component of the...

A tachometer consisting of a light source, rotating perforated wheel and phototransistor to measure the rates of rotation of...

An image that appears when a hologram is illuminated by a suitable light source, generally a laser beam.

Nonlinear optical materials are substances that exhibit optical properties that are not linearly proportional to the...

A system mounted a few inches above a moving plane that consists of a light source, lenses and one or more phototubes. In...