Type

Browse by Letter

Videology Industrial-Grade Cameras - NEW 2MP Camera 2024 MR

Zurich Instruments AG - Lock-In Amplifiers 4/24 HP

1,157 terms

Photonics Dictionary

Clear All Filters x system x
positive spherical aberration -> spherical aberration

Spherical aberration is an optical aberration that occurs when light rays passing through a lens or curved optical surface do not converge or diverge to a single focal point. Instead of focusing to a...

positive-intrinsic-negative diode -> PIN photodiode

A PIN photodiode is a type of photodetector or semiconductor device used to convert light signals into electrical signals. The name "PIN" is derived from the arrangement of the three semiconductor...

potassium titanyl phosphate

A crystalline material with a high electro-optic coefficient, capable of operating at short wavelengths, with applications in laser, optical disc, printing and microwave systems.

powder camera

A camera system that uses a fine powder to diffract x-rays from the specimen. A beam of monochromatic x-rays passes through a collimator onto the specimen. Diffracted x-rays are recorded on the film...

power modulation

Power modulation refers to the intentional variation of power levels in a signal, often in the context of electronic communication systems. This modulation technique is used to encode information...

precision aperture

An accurately produced hole of any size and shape that is used as a masking device in an optical system. Pinhole apertures of accurate diameters often are produced by laser beam penetration or by...

principal plane

In a lens or lens system, that surface at which the projections of an entering and exiting ray intersect. Also known as the equivalent refracting surface, the principal plane is most often not...

prism

A prism is a geometric optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. It is typically a solid, transparent object with at least two flat surfaces that are inclined relative to each...

prismatic spectrum

The spectrum formed by a dispersing prism or a dispersing prism system.

proximal scanning

Technique using a fiber optic assembly to illuminate an opaque object and transmit an image back from it without a lens system on the distal end.

pulse code modulation

System of information coding in which the signal is sampled 8000 times per second and the samples quantized by referring them to a series of preset 8-bit codes. Thus digitized, the signal is sent to...

pulse energy thermography -> pulse video thermography

A noncontact, nondestructive method of measuring defects in thin composite materials, using a xenon flashtube to generate heat in a sample. A thermal imaging system detects differences in the rates...

pulse forming network

A series of capacitors and inductors connected to the flashlamp in a pumped Nd:YAG laser system in order to regulate the pulse shape of the current delivered to the lamp at a given operating voltage.

pulse video thermography

pushbroom scanning

Pushbroom scanning is a technique used in remote sensing and imaging systems, particularly in satellite and aerial sensors, to capture images of the Earth's surface or other objects. In pushbroom...

PVS

programmable vision systems

pyramid error

Pyramid error in optics refers to an aberration in the shape of an optical surface, particularly in the context of mirrors. It is a type of distortion that can occur when the surface of a mirror...

pyroelectric infrared detector

Unlike the thermocouple or bolometer, the pyroelectric infrared detector is a current source with an output proportional to the rate of change of its temperature. Capable of extremely rapid response...

qPCR

quantitative polymerase chain reaction system

quantum

The term quantum refers to the fundamental unit or discrete amount of a physical quantity involved in interactions at the atomic and subatomic scales. It originates from quantum theory, a branch of...

quantum cascade laser

A quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics. It is a versatile and powerful device used for emitting coherent light in...

quantum dot light-emitting diode

Quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) is a display technology that utilizes quantum dots, which are semiconductor nanocrystals, to produce vibrant and high-quality images. QLED displays are...

quantum efficiency

Quantum efficiency (QE) is a measure of the effectiveness with which a device or system, typically in the context of photonics or electronics, converts incoming photons (light) into a useful output...

quantum noise

Noise generated within an optical communications system link that has both internal (dark current) and external (background noise, or noise in signal) components.

quantum photodetector -> photodetector

A photodetector, also known as a photosensor or photodiode, is a device that detects and converts light into an electrical signal. Photodetectors are widely used in various applications, ranging from...

quantum sensing

Quantum sensing refers to a class of sensing technologies that leverage principles from quantum mechanics to enhance the precision and sensitivity of measurements. Traditional sensors operate based...

quantum-ehanced metrology

Quantum-enhanced metrology refers to the use of quantum mechanics principles and techniques to enhance the precision and sensitivity of measurements in metrology—the science of measurement....

qubit

A qubit, short for quantum bit, is the fundamental unit of information in quantum computing and quantum information processing. Unlike classical bits, which can exist in one of two states (0 or 1),...

radial astigmatism

The astigmatism in a lens system that results when light enters the system at an oblique angle.

radial distortion

An alteration in magnification from the center of the field to any point in the field, measured in a radial direction from the center of the field. Some radial distortion is inherent in most optical...

radioactive tracer

A radioactive element that is placed or injected into a system to obtain an autoradiogram of the system. It is used in a number of fields where standard methods of internal imaging, for example,...

radix

Total number of characters available to each position of a digital numeric system.

Raman effect

When light is transmitted through matter, part of the light is scattered in random directions. A small part of the scattered light has frequencies removed from the frequency of the incident beam by...

Raman laser -> Raman effect

Raman scattering -> Raman effect

Raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy is a technique used in analytical chemistry and physics to study vibrational, rotational, and other low-frequency modes in a system. Named after the Indian physicist Sir C.V. Raman...

Ramsden circle -> exit pupil

In a lens or other optical system, the image of the aperture stop as seen from image space.

random noise

Essentially, noise that cannot be predicted. Therefore, even if the magnitude of sound or oscillation in a system is known at a given moment, random noise can change in a short time.

range axis

The third dimension (depth or Z-axis) in an imaging system.

rangefinder

1. An optical distance finder that depends on triangulation of two convergent beams on an object from disparate view points. 2. A device that depends on the measurement of time of wave travel from an...

rapid rectilinear lens

A double meniscus system in which two achromatized meniscus lenses are arranged symmetrically on either side of the aperture stop, reducing or eliminating distortion, coma and lateral color.

rare earth dopants

Rare earth dopants refer to elements from the lanthanide series, also known as rare earth elements, that are intentionally introduced into the crystal lattice of a material to modify its properties....

raster

The pattern of lines traced by rectilinear scanning in display systems.

ray intercept plot

A graph of the intersections of a fan of rays with the final image plane, plotted as a function of the positions of the rays in the pupil of the system.

Rayleigh criterion of resolving power

When a lens system with a circular aperture is free of aberrations, the image of a point object will appear as a disc of finite size surrounded by concentric rings. When two points are separated such...

Rayleigh prism

A prism system designed to produce a very high dispersion of light.

RDS

rapid display system

read-write capability

In an optical data storage system, denoting the optical head's ability both to record information and to detect it for playback.

real field -> true field

The size of the field of view in the object space of an optical system as differentiated from that in the image space (apparent field).

real image

An image that is formed when rays emerging from an optical system all converge to a point on the optical axis. A real image can be seen on a screen in the image space of the given optical system.

Photonics Dictionary