Photonics Dictionary: P

Number of pulses emitted per unit of time by a pulsed laser.

A device that converts data transmitted in the parallel mode to a sequence of bits at a single frequency for output in the serial mode.

A device using a parametric amplifier inside a resonant optical cavity to generate a frequency-tunable coherent beam of light from an intense laser beam of fixed frequency. This device is tuned by...

Present in photocurrent burst, it is the low frequency pulse that corresponds to the light scattered from the beams in the absence of heterodyne mixing.

1. The angle between two vectors that represent two simple periodic quantities that vary sinusoidally and that have the same frequency. 2. See phase.

With respect to a traveling plane wave at a known frequency, the space rate of decrease of phase of a field component in the direction of propagation, measured in radians per unit length.

Phase distortion refers to a change in the phase relationships between different frequency components of a signal. In the context of signal processing, it occurs when the phase response of a system...

Phase matching is a crucial concept in the field of optics, particularly in nonlinear optics and the generation of coherent light. It refers to the condition where the phases of two or more waves,...

The determination of the relative phase shift of an image as a function of frequency. A phase change of 180° with respect to the object results in an image with the black and white areas...

For a particular mode in a waveguide, the ratio of the angular frequency to constant phase.

A phase-modulated sensor is a type of sensor that uses modulation of the phase of a signal to measure changes in a physical quantity. In such sensors, variations in the phase of the signal are...

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...

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

Also known as light beating. The mixing of two narrowband optical components to produce an AC component in the photocurrent at the optical difference frequency.

A quantum of electromagnetic energy of a single mode; i.e., a single wavelength, direction and polarization. As a unit of energy, each photon equals hn, h being Planck's constant and n, the frequency...

Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner analogous to how semiconductors control the flow of electrons. Photonic...

Piezoelectricity is a property exhibited by certain materials in which they generate an electric charge in response to mechanical stress or deformation, and conversely, undergo mechanical deformation...

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.

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

For an electromagnetic field mode varying sinusoidally with time at a given frequency, the logarithmic rate of change, with respect to distance in a given direction, of the complex amplitude of any...

A means of achieving higher peak powers and more efficient harmonic generation by narrowing the pulse width and thus increasing the frequency bandwidth of the output of CW mode-locked lasers....

A device designed to detect frequency-modulated signals by forming a unidirectional pulse from each sine wave. The direct current of the pulse is proportional to the frequency of the...

An instrument designed for laser technology that is used to extract single pulses from the laser and transmit a portion of the pulses, thereby reducing the pulse rate to a desirable frequency.

A laser that emits energy in a series of short bursts or pulses and that remains inactive between each burst or pulse. The frequency of the pulses is termed the pulse-repetition frequency.