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Photonics Dictionary

Clear All Filters xrays x
b-rays
beta rays
calorific rays
Name originally given to the sun's infrared radiation by Sir William Herschel in his Philosophical Transactions of 1800.
cathode rays -> cathode stream
Also known as cathode rays. Formerly, this term described a stream of electrons emitted from the cathode of a gas-discharge tube during its bombardment by positive ions. It also describes any stream...
grenz rays
The soft x-rays used in the industrial radiography of materials having too small a range of densities to produce an image with normal x-rays.
homogeneous x-rays
X-rays of one frequency or a narrow band of frequencies.
marginal rays
Also referred to as the axial ray (or a-ray), a marginal ray originates from the axial point of the object and passes through the edge or margin of the entrance pupil (or aperture stop) of the lens...
secondary x-rays
X-rays emitted by a substance that formerly has been exposed to x-rays. The properties of the substance determine the frequency of the rays.
ultraphotic rays
The rays (such as ultraviolet rays) lying past the visible region of the spectrum.
cathode emission -> cathode stream
Also known as cathode rays. Formerly, this term described a stream of electrons emitted from the cathode of a gas-discharge tube during its bombardment by positive ions. It also describes any stream...
cathode stream
Also known as cathode rays. Formerly, this term described a stream of electrons emitted from the cathode of a gas-discharge tube during its bombardment by positive ions. It also describes any stream...
detector array
A detector array refers to a collection of individual detector elements arranged in a two-dimensional grid or matrix format. Each element within the array is capable of detecting electromagnetic...
gray-scale image
An image consisting of an array of pixels that can have more than two values (black and white). Typically, up to 16 levels are possible per pixel.
gray-scale modification
Image enhancement operations that involve altering gray-scale values. For instance, brightness sliding involves adding or subtracting an identical brightness value to or from each pixel in an image;...
microlens array
A microlens array is a grid-like structure composed of numerous small lenses, typically arranged in a regular pattern. Each individual lens in the array is referred to as a microlens. These...
Abaxial ray
Ray oriented and assumed to propagate orthogonal to the optical axis
abaxial spherical aberration -> oblique spherical aberration
coma, fifth order aberration with on-axis focal point variation with incident off axis ray height position
Abbe sine condition -> sine condition
First stated by Abbe, condition states that the ratio of input and output angles, from object point to image point, for two arbitrary rays must be equal.
aberration sensor (wavefront sensor)
Designed for the function of optical wavefront analysis. Shack-Hartmann camera aberration sensors use a lens array to image the wavefront to the CCD image plane. Live feedback may be applied through...
absorption peak
An absorption peak refers to a sharp increase or spike in the absorption of electromagnetic radiation at a particular wavelength or energy level. It is a distinctive feature in the absorption...
acoustic surface wave -> surface acoustic wave
An acoustic wave that propagates along the surface of a solid and decays exponentially with substrate depth. Also called a Rayleigh wave, it has both longitudinal and transverse (shear) components....
acoustical holography
The optical reconstruction of image information contained in a sound field. First the diffraction pattern, formed by an object irradiated by ultrasonic rays, interferes with a mutually coherent...
actinic focus
That point in the electromagnetic spectrum at which an optical system focuses the most chemically effective rays.
addressability
In display technology, an expression of resolution given by the number of pixels in both the horizontal and the vertical axes of a cathode-ray tube or similar device.
advanced photon source
An accelerator at the Argonne National Laboratory, providing powerful x-ray beams for materials research applications.
aluminized cathode-ray tube
A cathode-ray tube having a screen that is coated on the back with a thin film of aluminum, which serves to intensify the propagation of light.
analog stroke
An analog method of moving a cathode-ray tube beam across a display screen face, commonly used in high-performance vector and character generators.
angle of convergence
An angle formed by the lines of sight of both eyes when focusing on an object. Also, the rate at which a ray approaches the optical axis.
angle of deviation
The angle through which a ray of light is deviated by a refracting or reflecting surface, or a prism; the angle between an incident ray and the refracted or reflected ray.
angle of incidence
The angle formed between a ray of light striking a surface and the normal to that surface at the point of incidence.
angle of reflection
The angle formed between the normal to a surface and the reflected ray. This angle lies in a common plane with the angle of incidence and is equal to it.
angle of refraction
The angle formed between a refracted ray and the normal to the surface. This angle lies in a common plane with the angle of incidence. See also Snell's law of refraction.
angstrom
An angstrom, symbolized by the Ångström or Å, is a unit of length used to express atomic and molecular dimensions. It is equal to 0.1 nanometers or 1 × 10-10 meters. The...
angular aperture
The angle between the most divergent rays that can pass through the lens to form an image. In a birefringent crystal light modulator or Pockels cell, the maximum angle in the incident light rays that...
annihilation radiation
Gamma ray radiation released when matter and antimatter, such as electron and positron, unite and eliminate each other, transforming completely into energy. The resulting gamma ray spectrum depends...
anode
The part of an electrical circuit in which the electrons leave (a cathode-ray tube) or enter (an electrolytic cell) a unit in the circuit.
anticathode -> x-ray tube target
Also known as an anticathode. An electrode or electrode section that is focused upon by an electron beam and that emits x-rays.
APD detector
An APD detector, or avalanche photodiode detector, is a type of photodetector used to detect light or optical signals by converting incoming photons into electrical current. It operates based on the...
aplanatic points
Aplanatic points refer to specific points in an optical system where certain aberrations, such as spherical aberration or coma, are minimized or eliminated. In an optical system, aberrations are...
aplanatic surface
An aplanatic surface is an optical surface that is specifically designed or shaped to minimize spherical aberration and coma. Spherical aberration is an optical aberration that occurs when light rays...
AR
Abbe refractometer; acoustic radiometer; acoustic resonance; active region; alpha ray; amplitude ratio; antireflective; aperture ratio; applied research; argon; aspect ratio; atomic reactor; augmented reality
area image sensor -> 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 once (as a camera records an image on film) rather than by scanning parts...
array processor
In image processing, a specially designed programmable computer peripheral that attaches to the host system for the purpose of more rapid arithmetical calculations than the latter can supply. The...
attenuation
Attenuation refers to the gradual loss or reduction of intensity, force, or magnitude of a particular property as it propagates through a medium or travels over a distance. This concept is prevalent...
attosecond photonics sources
Attosecond photonics sources refer to devices or systems that generate extremely short pulses of light on the order of attoseconds (1 attosecond = 10-18 seconds). These ultrafast light pulses are in...
attosecond-pump attosecond-probe spectroscopy
Attosecond-pump attosecond-probe spectroscopy (APAP) is an advanced technique in ultrafast spectroscopy that allows scientists to study the dynamics of electronic processes occurring on extremely...
autocollimator
An autocollimator is an optical instrument used for measuring small angular deviations with high precision. It operates on the principle of autocollimation, where a light source is directed onto a...
averaged threshold receiver
A receiver for optical communications systems consisting of a symmetric binary, pulse-code-modulated transmitter, a log-normal channel and an array of independent photocounting detectors that yield...
AWG
American wire gauge;arrayed waveguide grating
AXAF
advanced x-ray astrophysics facility
axial bundle
A bundle of rays that originates from an object point on the optical axis of a lens system.

Photonics Dictionary


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