Photonics Dictionary

Embedded vision refers to the integration of computer vision technologies into various embedded systems, devices, or machines. Computer vision involves teaching machines to interpret and understand...

A study of the energies and wavelengths of radiation emitted by atoms and molecules when particular physical conditions are applied to them.

The length of optical waveguide needed to attain equilibrium mode distribution for a specified excitation condition.

Coating carried out in a sealed chamber evacuated by a mechanical pump in series with an oil diffusion pump to a pressure less than 10-4 mm of mercury, measured by a vacuum gauge. At such a low...

The ratio of the intensities of two specified spectral lines of a source having vastly different excitation energies. This ratio indicates the level of excitation energy in the source.

In ultraviolet and fluorescence photography, the term applied to the filter used in the photographic system and with the exciting source to screen out ambient radiations and to transmit the exciting...

Describes incident radiation propagating parallel to an externally applied magnetic field in magneto-optical experimentation.

The product of Avogadro's constant and the electrical charge of an electron; thus, the electrical charge carried by 1 gmol of a substance, or approximately 9.65 x 104 C.

The Faraday effect, named after the English scientist Michael Faraday, is a phenomenon in physics where the polarization plane of light is rotated when the light passes through a transparent medium...

The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) obtained with a Fourier transform spectrometer when detector noise prevails, which exceeds the SNR of a scanning spectrometer in the same time by a factor proportional...

The mathematical expression of the probability of any given state of energy being occupied when a semiconductor is in thermal equilibrium.

A crystal capable of being polarized in the reverse direction when an electric field is applied.

The lowest frequency at which the magnitude of the fiber transfer function decreases to a specified fraction of the zero frequency value. Often, the specified value is one-half the optical power at...

A property of optical fiber that results from thermal stresses during manufacturing and is defined as the amount of curvature over any specified length of fiber.

A fiber laser is a type of laser in which the active gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare-earth ions such as erbium, ytterbium, or neodymium. Fiber lasers generate coherent light through...

A fiber optic preform is a cylindrical glass rod or tube used as the starting material for manufacturing optical fibers. It serves as the precursor from which optical fibers are drawn. The process of...

A fiber optic sensor is a device that uses optical fibers to detect and measure physical, chemical, biological, or environmental parameters. Unlike traditional electrical sensors, fiber optic sensors...

An extremely powerful microscope that renders individual ionized atoms visible by using an electric field to propel the ions to a fluorescent screen where they are magnified.

The procedure applied to flame-excited line emissions to determine spectra and wavelengths.

A frame taken with a CCD camera of a surface that is evenly illuminated by diffuse light. This frame shows irregularities in the light-sensing ability of the CCD, such as electronic defects and dust...

A flexible display refers to a type of electronic visual display that is designed to be bendable, foldable, or rollable, allowing for unconventional form factors and enhanced portability. Unlike...

The analysis and measurement of the fluorescence emitted by a source. Fluorometric processes are more sensitive than light absorption methods and are rapidly being applied in medical and biological...

1. The sector of the Earth's surface registered upon a remote sensing device in a satellite. 2. The amount of space occupied by a component on the surface upon which it is mounted. 3. The space on an...

A solid-state laser consisting of active atoms or ions of a transition metal, rare-earth metal or actinide, imbedded in a crystal or glass material, often garnet. Excitation and transfer to different...

The restricting aperture located at the front of the lens. It is usually defined as the maximum diameter of the entrance cone at the front vertex, for the specified field of view at infinity focus.

An optical reflector with the reflective coating applied to the front surface of the substrate. This eliminates the ghost image formed with second-surface mirrors.

1. The combination of the effects of two or more stimuli in any given sense to form a single sensation. With respect to vision, the perception of continuous illumination formed by the rapid...

In an avalanche photodiode, the gain multiplied by the signal frequency in MHz.

A galvanometric scanner, also known as a galvanometer scanner or galvo scanner, is a type of optical scanning device used to rapidly and precisely direct a laser beam or other light source to...

A display device that contains an inert gas that gives off orange light when a high voltage is applied to ionize the gas.

An intensified charge-coupled device that uses a large negative charge at the grid to switch off the flow of electrons at periodic intervals in order to provide a clearer output image when adverse...

A specific gas-filled tube designed to illustrate the luminous effects of discharges through rarefied gases.

Temporal jitter at a signal's receiver when amplified noise causes frequency shifts, as with a soliton traveling through an erbium-doped fiber amplifier.

Graphene is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice pattern. It is the basic building block of other carbon-based materials...

A porous ceramic substance that is ground to a given optical form and on which a polished plate of glass is sagged by heat application. It is capable of transmitting in a partial vacuum. The glass...

A method of determining the abrasion resistance of very hard materials by passing a weighted wiper blade across them in a sand-water slurry for a specified number of times.

A term variously applied to remote sensing techniques that essentially refers to all parametric conditions that influence the sensor system; includes the quantitative reality that the sensor sees and...

The light flash that occurs when an electrical field is applied to a phosphor already excited by ultraviolet radiation.

A factor derived by equating the incident light on the subject to the required incident light for suitable photography. The lamp-subject-distance then is multiplied by the aperture and solved in...

The inductance of a closed circuit in which an electromotive force of one volt is produced when the electric current in the circuit is varied uniformly at a rate of one ampere per second.

A high-speed motion camera, also known as a high-speed camera or slow-motion camera, is a specialized imaging device designed to capture fast-moving events or phenomena at extremely high frame rates....

Histochemical staining is a laboratory technique used in biology and medicine to visualize specific chemical components within biological tissues. This technique involves the application of various...

A term applied to rays that possess the same focal point, which may be infinity, thereby meaning that the rays are parallel.

That part of the cladding wherein the refractive index is constant within a specified tolerance, as a function of radius.

Term applied to laser technology to denote an area of above-average intensity often attributable to atmospheric inconsistencies.

Hyperchromic shift refers to an increase in the absorption of light, leading to a higher absorbance, often observed in certain chemical or biological substances upon undergoing a structural change....

A theoretical instrument conceived of as a box that receives a beam of radiation of any arbitrary polarization angle and produces a new beam, coaxial with the incident beam, having a specified new...