Photonics Dictionary

A form of lens assembly used in a projection system to maximize efficiency and assure uniform illumination of the object being projected.

A lens or lens system used to transfer a real image from one point within an optical system to another, with or without magnifying it.

A relay that opens or closes an electrical circuit depending on the intensity of the light incident to a photoelectric device contained in the relay.

A photoelectrical relay that uses a phototube as its photoelectric device to open and close an electrical relay; used to activate counters and safety controls.

A device for the internal inspection of hard-to-get-at mechanical parts, such as rifle barrels, sewer pipes, oil wells, or gas mains. The long narrow tube used contains a telescope system with as...

A device used to scan images or information on photographic film for the subsequent relay of information.

A diagram that shows actual component signals and the basic wiring configuration of a relay logic circuit.

An instrument consisting essentially of a tube 160 mm long, with an objective lens at the distant end and an eyepiece at the near end. The objective forms a real aerial image of the object in the...

An eyepiece located at the near end of the microscope tube. It often is a simple Huygens eyepiece, but compensating and flat-field projection eyepieces are quite efficient. Negative eyepieces are...

An optical instrument designed to displace the line of sight in a vertical direction. For submarines and other military uses the periscope is a long tube containing prisms at both ends and...

Fiber optic cable in which the arrangement of fibers within the bundle has been made random so that output light will be uniformly distributed and not relay the image of the light source at the input...

1. A device used to trace out an object and build up an image. One of the most common of these types is video scanning. The scanning takes place inside the television tube as electrons, guided by...

Controlled beam technology that introduces beams of sunlight through holes in a roof that are relayed throughout the building by a series of mirrors and lenses. Ideally, cool lighting is obtained by...