Lumencor Inc. - Advancing Insights LB 5/24

Type

Browse by Letter

Bristol Instruments, Inc. - 872 Series High-Res 4/24 MR

Meadowlark Optics - Wave Plates 6/24 MR 2024

79 terms

Photonics Dictionary: P

Clear All Filters x XPS x P x
photovoltaic cell

A photovoltaic cell, commonly known as a solar cell, is a semiconductor device that directly converts light energy into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect. The photovoltaic effect is...

photovoltaic detector -> photovoltaic cell

photovoltaic

Photovoltaic (PV) refers to a technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductors. The term "photovoltaic" is derived from the words "photo," meaning light, and...

picture element -> pixel

A pixel, short for "picture element," is the smallest controllable element of a digital image or display. It is a fundamental unit that represents a single point in a raster image, which is a grid of...

piecewise interferometry

An interferometric technique for the generation of precision gratings that allows for sequential exposure of small segments in the writing of a large grating, allowing increased intensity that...

piezo worm

A piezoelectric translator that moves up and down a spindle like a caterpillar. It clamps itself at one end, expands, clamps the other end, releases the first end, and then contracts and begins the...

pink noise -> flicker noise

Any noise with a power spectral density that is the inverse of the signal's frequency and is therefore most significant for low-frequency signals. It can be expressed as 1/f and is therefore also...

pixel

planar access coupler

Low-insertion-loss fiber coupler fabricated from a sheet of light-sensitive material laminated onto a fused quartz substrate and exposed through a suitable mask. After development of the plastic...

plasma accelerator

A plasma accelerator is a type of particle accelerator that uses electric fields and magnetic fields to accelerate charged particles, typically electrons or ions, by exploiting the motion of charged...

plasmonics

Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free electrons in a metal or semiconductor at the nanoscale. Specifically,...

plastic optics

Plastic optics refers to optical components or systems that are made from transparent plastic materials, as opposed to traditional optical components made from glass or other materials. Plastic...

platen -> film platen

A mechanism in a camera designed to position the film in the focal plane for exposure.

pneumatic detector

A device used to detect radiant energy by means of the thermal expansion of gas.

polariton

A polariton is a quasiparticle resulting from the strong coupling between photons (light particles) and certain types of excitations in a material, such as electronic excitations (electrons and...

polarization dependent loss

In passive optical components, loss that varies as the polarization state of the propagating wave changes. Expressed as the difference between the maximum and minimum loss in decibels.

polymerase chain reaction

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a widely used molecular biology technique used to amplify a specific segment of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) through a series of temperature-controlled cycles....

positioning

Positioning generally refers to the determination or identification of the location or placement of an object, person, or entity in a specific space or relative to a reference point. The term is used...

power average

For a pulsed laser, the product of the energy per pulse (joule) and the pulse frequency (hertz); expressed in watts.

power ratio -> radiant power

The time rate of flow of radiant energy, expressed in watts (W), and carries the units of Joule per second (J/s). The prefix often is dropped and the term "power" used.

printer

A photographic enlarger with a fixed negative plane and a fixed paper plane, often using a roll of paper that is advanced automatically between exposures. The lens is interchangeable to suit a range...

prism power

The power, expressed in prism diopters, that is the linear displacement, in centimeters, produced by the prism one meter away.

projection printer -> printer

proof strength

The minimum amount of strength characteristic of an optical fiber, as determined by proof stressing; expressed in thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch.

proximity effect

The underexposure caused by the diffraction of light passing through small openings spaced closely together in masks used in photolithography.

pulsed radiance

The integral of the radiance over exposure time.

pulsed sandwich holography

Separation of incident laser pulses by several seconds so holographic plates can be changed and sandwiched between the pulses. This technique combines the short exposure time of pulsed holography...

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...

pyrex

Trade name for a type of borosilicate glass manufactured by Corning Glass Works, noted for its low coefficient of thermal expansion. Used most often for mirror blanks; not suitable for light...

Photonics DictionaryP

We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.