Photonics Dictionary

Totally coherent radiation is produced by a purely monochromatic point source. In the real world the energy will have a limited bandwidth and the point source will subtend some angle resulting in...

A chemical substance that exhibits fluorescence when excited by ultraviolet radiation, x-rays or an electron beam. The amount of visible light is proportional to the amount of excitation energy. If...

The spectroscopic study of the radiation emitted by the lifetime of phosphorescence.

A process used in pyrometry and photothermometry to create a photographic record of a surface's temperature gradients. Essentially, it involves the exposure of a glowing phosphorescent surface to the...

The term photochemical pertains to chemical processes or reactions that are initiated or influenced by the absorption of light. Photochemical reactions involve the interaction of light, often in the...

A chemical compound that exhibits a reversible change in its absorption spectrum upon irradiation with given wavelengths of light.

Photochromic refers to a property exhibited by certain materials, typically organic compounds or dyes, which undergo reversible changes in color when exposed to light. Specifically, photochromic...

The reversible change in the absorption spectrum of certain compounds upon irradiation with a given wavelength of light.

Photoconductive antenna (PCA) is a semiconductor element that generates or detects high-frequency electromagnetic signals. Compact PCAs based on gallium arsenide (GaAs) or indium gallium arsenide...

A device for detecting visual and infrared radiation using a photoconductor as the principle sensing element.

The alteration of electric conductivity produced by the absorption of varying amounts of radiation composed of photons.

A film of material that exhibits varying conductivity based upon its absorption of varying amounts of photon radiation.

A two-electrode, radiation-sensitive junction formed in a semiconductor material in which the reverse current varies with illumination. Photodiodes are used for the detection of optical power and for...

The constant that, multiplied by the frequency of the radiation-producing emission of photoelectrons, determines the amount of voltage each photoelectron absorbs.

The control of an instrument or electrical circuit by the current produced by varying radiation incident to a photoelectric cell.

The electron emission from a substance or instrument whose surface has been bombarded by a suitable amount of radiation.

The use of photographic emulsions to detect and determine the amounts of ionizing radiation, such as x-rays and gamma rays, in an area. This is accomplished by exposing the emulsion to the radiation...

The photographic recording of the heat radiation emitted from various points on the object as corresponding density variations on fast infrared film.

The ionization that occurs in gas affected by the action of radiation quanta.

A photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a highly sensitive vacuum tube that detects and amplifies low levels of light. It is widely used in various applications where high sensitivity, fast response times,...

An infrared detector in which radiation passes through a doped germanium crystal, creating a voltage drop that can be measured in terms of incident intensity.

A photonic cavity, also known as an optical cavity, is a structure that confines electromagnetic radiation within a certain region or volume. It is typically composed of materials with different...

A process in which a mixture of one or more monomers, plus a catalyst, polymerize under exposure to light radiation. Photopolymerization permits a hologram to be exposed, fixed and reconstructed in...

A substance that increases a material's sensitivity to electromagnetic irradiation. In photodynamic therapy, a drug used to render a target tissue sensitive to laser light.

A solid-state device that acts as a high-speed power switch, and that is activated by incident radiation.

Phototherapy is a medical treatment that involves the use of light to treat various conditions, particularly those related to the skin or mood disorders. There are different types of phototherapies,...

The generation of a difference in electric potential between two electrodes when radiation is incident on one of them.

A photovoltaic cell usually sensitive to infrared radiation. It may have a copper base and a film of cuprous oxide. When it is irradiated, voltage is produced.

The universal constant h that has a value of 6.6260693 x 10-34 Js. A quantum of energy is equal to the product of the frequency of the radiation and Planck's constant.

A fundamental law of quantum theory which states that the discrete quanta of energy transfers associated with electromagnetic radiation are proportional to the frequency of the radiation.

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,...

1. With respect to angular subtense, a source of light, such as a star, that is very small. In a lab, a point source may be simulated by imaging a large source onto and through a pinhole, or by...

The determination of a substance's identity or quantity through the analysis of its optical rotation. For example, the examination of crystals and polymers under polarized infrared radiation is very...

Optical fiber channel characterization scheme based on three assumptions; the discrete mode spectrum can be replaced by a continuum; the loss due to coupling between guided and radiation modes...

The plane in which the axis of maximum radiation and the electric vector are contained.

An astronomical body that emits radiation concentrated by a strong magnetic field into two beams that rotate, giving a pulsing effect.

A group of energy levels to which ions in the ground state are initially excited when pumping radiation is applied to a laser medium. The pumping band usually lies higher in energy than the levels...

An instrument for measuring the intensity of solar radiation.

A laser output that occurs when the cavity resonator Q is first kept very low, using rotating mirrors or saturable absorbers, so that the population inversion achieved is greater than usual. A high...

The science of all complex elements of atomic and molecular spectra, and the interaction of radiation and matter.

A lamp with a quartz envelope that transmits radiation generally rich in the ultraviolet.

A spectrograph used to detect radiation in the range of the ultraviolet in the electromagnetic spectrum. It is made up of quartz because that material, unlike regular glass, is not opaque to the...

The inhibition or elimination of one process by another process. The stimulated emission of a laser oscillator can be quenched by a pulse of radiation of the same frequency traversing the oscillator...

A unit of energy absorbed from ionizing radiation, equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material.