Photonics Dictionary

Technology that corrects the shape of reflective optics; primarily applied in large telescope systems, in order to compensate for slowly varying changes in temperature, wind and mechanical stress.

The layer of material in a laser diode from which the optical radiation is emitted; light producing region

The transport of molecules in a cell which requires the use of a cell's internal energy. The energy used in the cell may be ATP as a primary transport or an electrochemical gradient give as the...

A type of liquid-crystal display in which each display element contains an active component, such as a thin-film transistor, to maintain its state between refresh scans.

When applied to LCD grids, the active matrix is a means of supplying power to pixels by use of a transistor and capacitor. The transistor functions with leads in operation with its respective row and...

An OLED display that has an integrated electronic backplane as its substrate. Active-matrix OLED displays use at least two thin-film transistors (TFTs) to control the on-current at each OLED cell or...

An OLED display that has an integrated electronic backplane as its substrate. Active-matrix OLED displays use at least two thin-film transistors (TFTs) to control the on-current at each OLED cell or...

1. Synonymous with radioactivity. The intensity of a radioactive source illustrated as the number of atoms disintegrating in unit time, or as the number of scintillations or other effects observed...

Mechanical device intended for the translation (rotational and linear) using high precision control from electronically operated circuits. See linear actuator; rotary actuator.

In photography, the density gradient across an edge separating light from darkness, a physically measurable quantity that correlates well with subjectively observed sharpness of definition. By...

In biaxial crystals, the principal angle that bisects the smaller angle between the optic axes.

Device which measures the index of refraction of glass as well as the dispersion over visible range.

The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum divided by the speed of light in the medium.

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is a manufacturing process that involves creating three-dimensional objects by adding material layer by layer. This is in contrast to...

With respect to photography, the change in the density-exposure relations, for small details of the photographic image, that is noted when compared with the density-exposure relations for large...

An aerial reconnaissance system that can transmit, in near real time, image data recorded by IR and visual-spectrum sensors, providing day, night and foul-weather intelligence.

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.

A system in which a sequence of direct measurements of the target position is fed into a tracking filter that may produce refined estimates of past, present and future target positions.

The angular spectrum approach is a mathematical and computational technique used in the field of optics to analyze and simulate the propagation of optical waves, particularly in the context of wave...

A laser radar application in which a sequence of direct measurements of target position is fed into a tracking filter to produce refined estimates of both present and future target positions.

An oven or furnace that possesses the design requirements and heat control necessary to anneal glass for the optical industry.

Characteristic of an absorber in the IR region, whereby absorption increases as a direct function of the intensity of the incident, continuous radiation.

Light-absorbing material that is applied to the back support of any bright image under inspection to prevent the formation of a secondary image.

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...

Displacement in a direction perpendicular to that of the intended displacement, as in a translation stage with simple flexures that experiences vertical displacement during horizontal motion; it is...

Radioactivity formed by the bombardment of stable elements by either neutrons or high-energy, charged particles under regulated conditions.

In the discharge of a vacuum tube, the narrow, nonluminous region that sometimes may be found between the cathode and its glow.

Formulaic compensation to correct laser ranging data for the effects of horizontal refractivity gradients; it requires the horizontal pressure and temperature gradient at laser sites, which are...

The efficiency of scattering by an atom in a particular direction, expressed as: where AA is the amplitude of the wave from the atom and AE is the amplitude of the wave from a free electron.

A channel for communication with the source in an otherwise unidirectional network, such as a channel that provides interactive features in a cable television network.

The distance from the final optic within a system to the rear image point of the system. See focal length.

A glass substrate that has its rear surface coated with a reflective coating. Also known as a back-surface mirror.

A CCD that has been reduced in thickness by etching so that light passes through the back layers of the CCD. This type of CCD typically has higher sensitivity, especially to blue light, and higher...

A photovoltaic cell designed so that light travels through the front electrode and a semiconductor before it comes to the barrier layer.

The intensity of the light in the scene behind an object being viewed.

In a mechanical system, any lost motion between driving and driven elements due to clearance between parts.

The ability of a camera to compensate in cases where a subject with a large amount of background light would otherwise be obscured by blooming or silhouetting.

The forming of a clear silhouette of an object by placing a light source behind it. Used in machine vision when surface features of an object are not important.

Refers to a display or screen that is illuminated from behind; the light is transmitted as opposed to reflected.