Photonics Dictionary: S

A spectroradiometer having a means to scan different regions of the light spectrum, providing simultaneous representations of amplitude vs. wavelength of the spectrum.

The method of determining the energy distribution of high-speed charged particles by the luminous effect formed when the particles strike a material.

A self-interference effect that generates random patterns; secondary speckle pattern (SSP) typically occurs in diffuse reflections of a laser on paper, white paint or rough surfaces. By tracking both...

An advanced technique that allows the detection of one molecule within a crystal or a cell through optical excitation. Single-molecule spectroscopy (SMS) can image at subwavelength scales, down to a...

A technique for observing the decay of light emissions from sources following their pulsed excitations, based on recording the arrival time of the first photoelectron after excitation. After many...

Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) is a technique that extends traditional Raman spectroscopy by incorporating measurements at different spatial offsets. This method allows for the selective...

The ratio of Young's modulus to density of a material.

In laser systems, the granular effect that is noted when observing the expanded cross section of a laser beam.

A technique for obtaining improved resolution of images produced by large telescopes and distorted by the effects of atmospheric turbulence. Many individual exposures are recorded at high speeds by a...

Refers to the variety of techniques that use the interference pattern produced by laser light diffusely reflected by an object. There are two basic techniques: direct laser photography, used when...

A power intensity pattern produced by the mutual interference of partially coherent beams that are subject to minute temporal and spatial fluctuations.

Pertaining to or as a function of wavelength. Spectral quantities are evaluated at a single wavelength.

The wavelength interval in which radiant intensity is at least 50 percent of the maximum spectral value.

Average wavelength usually determined for light-transmitting devices by taking a weighted average for each wavelength of the spectral energy distribution of incident light, transmittance of the...

Spectral domain optical coherence tomography is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics, particularly in ophthalmology, to visualize and analyze the internal structures of biological...

Spectral flow cytometry is an advanced flow cytometry technique that expands the capabilities of traditional flow cytometry by utilizing spectral information from fluorochromes to enhance...

With respect to color photography, the measurement, at a given wavelength, of the way the color film modulates the radiant flux in the optical system containing the film.

Irradiance per unit wavelength interval at a given wavelength, expressed in watts per unit area per unit wavelength interval.

A narrow range of emitted or absorbed wavelengths.

A slight displacement in the position of a spectral line because of an alteration in frequency, as a result, in turn, of a cause such as the Doppler effect.

Ratio of the luminous flux in a beam of radiation to the spectral radiant flux in the same beam at a given wavelength.

Ratio of the radiant flux at a particular wavelength lm to that at any other wavelength l, such that both radiations produce equally intense luminous sensations. The wavelength lm is chosen so that...

When, for example, a beam of monochromatic light passes through a diffraction grating, the emergent rays that have remained undeviated are included in the zero spectral order. The light flux in the...

The relative power emitted by a source as a function of wavelength. It determines the color-rendering properties of the source.

Any pyrheliometer that has a filter placed over its sensor to limit the range of solar radiation it will detect; used to determine the distribution of solar radiation over its visible and into its...

Radiance per unit wavelength interval at a given wavelength, expressed in watts per steradian per unit area per wavelength interval.

Spectral repeatability refers to the consistency and reproducibility of spectral measurements across multiple trials or instances. It is a measure of how well a measurement instrument or system can...

Measure of a detector's signal during exposure to radiation of a constant power level and varying wavelength.

A classification of particular regularities that occur in the spectra of many atoms.

A spectral signature, in the context of remote sensing and spectroscopy, refers to the unique pattern or characteristic spectral response of a material or object across different wavelengths of the...

A measure of the wavelength extent of a spectrum.

A wavelength region of relatively high transmittance, surrounded by regions of low transmittance.

A combination spectrometer and bolometer that is designed to measure a narrow band of radiation from a star.

Equipment used for chemical analysis by investigation of the spectra formed and observed in chemical activity. Of particular use are spectrographs for recording the emission spectra of substances...

An automatic scanning instrument that is used to study a substance's fluorescence over a wide range of wavelengths. It consists of a radiation source, a grating that functions as the monochromator in...

A chart formed by a spectrograph; the record of the spectral range. See spectrograph.

Spectra can be conveniently recorded on photographic film or plates. The portions that are occupied by regions of the recorded developed images on the film or plate can be determined with some...

An optical instrument for forming the spectrum of a light source and recording it on a film. The dispersing medium may be a prism or a diffraction grating. A concave grating requires no other means...

The hollow electrode used in emission spectroscopy to hold the material to be examined and, using an arc or spark source, to vaporize it in the flame.

The slits in a spectrograph that form images of spectral lines. Slits may be bilateral or unilateral, and generally close down to 0.01 mm and open up to almost a whole millimeter. The edges of the...

The production and analysis of spectra with the use of a spectrograph.

The image of the sun produced by a spectroheliograph.

An instrument in which an image of the sun is scanned by the entrance slit of a monochromator, the exit slit simultaneously scanning a photographic plate for analysis of the solar spectral lines. If...

An instrument similar to the spectroheliograph, but having a scanning method that is performed by a pair of rapidly oscillating slits or a rotating glass block located before a pair of fixed slits at...