Photonics Dictionary

A hologram formed when the light of the illuminating beam is absorbed in correspondence with the recording exposure. In application, absorption holograms are intended for use in satellite...

Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of atmospheric distortions. The Earth's atmosphere can cause light passing through it...

Eye blink or head movement in response to bright light. Aversion responses such as blinking are sufficient protection from less hazardous lasers, including Class 2 lasers. An eye blink can occur, at...

An optical system that rapidly alternates two similar pictures or scenes to permit the detection of small dissimilarities between them.

Intentionally alternating the intensity of a display element in a graphic display device.

Camera Link HS (high speed) is a standard developed for high-speed digital data transmission in machine vision and industrial imaging applications. It is an evolution of the original Camera Link...

Chip-on-board (COB) lights refer to a type of LED lighting technology where multiple LED chips are directly mounted onto a substrate, typically a printed circuit board (PCB), without the need for...

Collaborative Robot (Cobot): Unlike traditional autonomous robots, which usually work by themselves, a collaborative robot is programmed to work with humans, such as a guide or an assistant. They can...

The process of linking optical fiber end to end.

A corner cube, also known as a corner reflector or retroreflector prism, is a type of optical device used to reflect light or electromagnetic waves back towards their source with minimal deviation in...

The concave portion of a surface, formed on a blank, on which the disk of higher refractive glass will be fused to form a multifocal spectacle lens.

Plastic in which the polymer chains become irreversibly joined during molding. The cross-linking can be achieved by heating, chemical agents or irradiation.

The communications network between nodes of a data transmission system.

An EMCCD (electron-multiplying charge-coupled device) camera is a type of scientific camera specifically designed for low-light imaging applications that require high sensitivity and fast readout...

An electrophoretic display, often referred to as an electronic paper display or e-paper display, is a type of electronic visual display technology used in electronic devices for the purpose of...

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a laboratory technique used to detect and measure the presence of specific substances, such as antibodies, antigens, proteins, hormones, or other...

A weapon launched from a ground-based platform and controlled by a two-way fiber optic data link. The fiber is payed out from a bobbin in the back of the missile.

A wide-field multiobject spectroscopy system used in astronomy, in which a bundle of low-loss optical fibers positioned on the target images is rearranged at its other end into a linear array along...

A fixed-focus camera designed to record the ink impression of fingerprints that have been impressed on a card or form for record purposes.

Any noise with a power spectral density that is the inverse of the signal's frequency and is therefore most significant for low-frequency signals. It can be expressed as 1/f and is therefore also...

Free-space optics (FSO), also known as optical wireless communication or optical wireless networking, refers to the transmission of data using modulated beams of light through free space (air or a...

A frequency comb is a precise and regular series of equally spaced spectral lines, or frequencies, that are generated with great accuracy. The term "frequency comb" is often associated with the Nobel...

The length of the small space within which the atmosphere exhibits coherence, particularly in relation to an observer on Earth viewing celestial objects. The turbulence of the Earth's atmosphere...

GigE, short for gigabit Ethernet, refers to a standard for high-speed Ethernet communication, capable of transmitting data at rates of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), or 1000 megabits per second...

Ink used for writing on glass, and also for blackening the edges of lenses to prevent reflection. In the latter case, the refractive index of the ink must closely match that of the glass.

An eyepiece having a rotating index or cross wire linked to an external 360° scale to allow measuring of angles in an image.

Gram-negative bacteria are a group of bacteria that possess a cell envelope composed of a thin layer of peptidoglycan surrounded by an outer membrane. This outer membrane contains lipopolysaccharides...

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...

High-modulus elastic fibers that exhibit the following differences from conventional elastic fibers: Increasing temperature decreases recovery force (the fibers are enthalpic vs. conventionally...

A series of flanges or other conducting surfaces, usually metal, attached to an electronic device to transmit and dissipate heat that might damage internal circuitry.

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...

An eyepiece having a special prism arrangement linked to a micrometer screw to allow reading of the angular relations between the two prism segments to be varied. When the prism faces are parallel,...

A standard direct-readout vidicon tube linked by fiber optics to an intensifier for increased sensitivity.

A thermosetting material used in the jacket of fiber optic cables.

The SI unit of temperature equal to 1°C. See absolute temperature scale.

Laser marking is a process in which a laser beam is used to mark or engrave a surface by altering its properties or appearance. This technique is widely used for labeling, identification, and...

An ophthalmic instrument used to measure the magnitude and direction of the maximum and minimum powers of a spectacle lens, and mark the optical center of the lens by an ink dot. When the lens to be...

High-precision motorized positioning device, often linked to computer control equipment.

In data communications, the instrumentation connecting two stations: transmitters, receivers and the cable that runs between them.

Data communications network in a clearly defined geographical location, and extending no more than a few miles in length. It generally takes in an office building or group of buildings, a campus or...