Photonics Dictionary: F

A device in which slab geometry internally compensates for thermal-optic distortion; the solid host material -- glass or Nd:YAG -- is in the form of a rectangular slab with plane parallel faces. The...

A fiber optic cable assembly refers to a complete unit consisting of optical fibers, connectors, protective jackets, and other components that are assembled together to facilitate the transmission of...

A fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) is a type of gyroscope that uses the interference of light waves to detect changes in orientation or rotation. It operates based on the principle of the Sagnac effect,...

A fiber optic transceiver, often simply referred to as an "optical transceiver," is a device used in fiber optic communications to transmit and receive data over optical fibers. It integrates both a...

1. A lens situated at or near the plane of an internal image to project the aperture of a previous objective or erector upon the aperture of a following lens. 2. A lens at or near the plane of a...

An expression of the tolerance of decentration of a laser diode from the optical axis: the region around the axis in the focal plane of the collimator in which the facet can be located and still...

The field of view (FOV) refers to the extent of the observable world or the visible area that can be seen at any given moment through a device, such as an optical instrument, camera, or sensor. It is...

The angle measured between the focal surface containing the image and a plane normal to the optical axis.

The site behind the lens system in a camera where photographic media are positioned for exposure.

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

Filoviruses are a family of viruses that are responsible for severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fevers in humans and non-human primates. The name "filovirus" is derived from their filamentous...

A grating used as a reflectance filter, particularly in the far-infrared. Small plane gratings, blazed for the wavelength of the unwanted radiation, are produced for this purpose.

Fizeau fringes are interference fringes observed in an interferometer, specifically in a Fizeau interferometer. The Fizeau interferometer is named after the French physicist Armand Fizeau, who...

The distance between the locating surface of the lens mount and the image plane.

A lens that focuses on a flat plane because its field of curvature is close to zero.

A collimator having, at one end of a tube, an objective lens, and at the other, a reticle with a pair of spaced lines located accurately in its focal plane. It is generally useful as an apparatus for...

A linear or two-dimensional matrix of individual detector elements, typically used at the focus of an imaging system.

An infrared imaging device composed of a detector array and readout electronics. It may include a cryogenic cooling system. The assemblies are used in meteorological and surveillance satellites,...

A shutter having one or more roller blinds of material with a variable slit that moves across the back of the camera when released and exposes the sensitized material progressively.

A plane (through the focal point) at right angles to the principal axis of a lens or mirror; that surface on which the best image is formed.

A retroreflector that can focus a beam of light, with one planar reflective surface, one spherical and a third that is either planar or convex cylindrical.

1. A flaw in a blank caused by folding the blank's surface during its formation. 2. The change in the direction of a system's optical axis caused by a reflective component.

A hologram formed by the recording of a plane object situated in the focal plane of a lens so that each object gives rise to a parallel beam of light incident on the plate. A collimated reference...

An instrument using a Michelson interferometer, a beamsplitter, two plane mirrors and a detector to give Fourier analysis of the detector signal to provide the desired spectrum.

Frame rate refers to the frequency at which consecutive images, or frames, are displayed in a video sequence. It is typically measured in frames per second (fps) and determines the smoothness and...

The multiple beam form of Brewster's fringes formed when the two plane-parallel plates have high-reflecting surfaces.

A piece of uniform birefringent material placed at a 45° angle to the plane of polarization in a polarizing microscope to indicate changes in color caused by interference when a birefringent...