Photonics Dictionary

A type of camera that incorporates a tiny mirror that oscillates in accordance with incoming signals. An illuminated slit is imaged by this tiny mirror on a moving ribbon of sensitized paper or film,...

A direct reading spectrograph having a photomultiplier assembly in place of a photographic plate. The output from the photomultiplier assembly is received by a microammeter or a pen recorder.

The recording of the information contained in a modulated electron beam onto photographic or silicon resin-coated materials. A direct recording method involves the passage of the recording medium...

A term applied to the recording of video images by means of magnetic tape or disc, so that the image's record can be played back in a video format at a later time.

A technique that uses the passage of an electrical current through a recording medium to produce a permanent image on that medium.

An instrument designed to place nongraphic information, usually generated by a computer, onto photographic film. The information is generally encoded as a series of opaque and translucent spots, or...

A single housing that includes means of recording an image photographically and electronically.

A type of recording in which the recording line remains fixed and the recording medium is fed past the recording device.

An instrument used to record sound, pictures or both on a magnetic tape for storage and playback.

An instrument used for video or computer data storage in which a laser optical head is used to write digital information onto a tape. Depending on the size of the reel, the tape may be capable of...

A system in which the electrical signal embedded within an audio input signal is converted to a modulated light pattern and recorded on film.

The recording achieved when a surface, illuminated by a signal-controlled light beam, emits electrons or reacts in some manner.

An instrument consisting essentially of a photoelectric cell filtered to respond to a specified wavelength region, an amplifier of sufficient gain to provide power enough to control movement of a...

A term referring to various processes for forming visible images outside of a camera to be photographed on ordinary film. Unlike regular infrared photography, thermal photography is an indirect...

A display device having a thermoplastic film as the control layer medium. The film, moving from a playoff reel, is scanned by an electron gun and melted by an RF heating unit. Deformation of the film...

A recorder that plots, on a chart, the interaction between two variables, not directly representing time.

A holographic camera, also known as a holographic imaging system or holographic recorder, is a specialized device used to capture 3D holographic images of objects or scenes. Unlike conventional...

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...

The recorded interference pattern formed by the interference of two sound beams.

The optical reconstruction of image information contained in a sound field. First the diffraction pattern, formed by an object irradiated by ultrasonic rays, interferes with a mutually coherent...

An aerial reconnaissance system that can transmit, in near real time, image data recorded by IR and visual-spectrum sensors, providing day, night and foul-weather intelligence.

A glow discharge lamp consisting of a cold cathode and a mixture of inert gases. The intensity of illumination varies with the applied signal voltage. This lamp was commonly used as a source of...

The use of optical or electronic recording systems to extract information from the terrain, while aloft, for reconnaissance applications.

The creation of a planned sequence of data input that is obtained while airborne for use in aerial photogrammetry and other types of map making and surveying. The data can be photographic, electronic...

The creation of topographical maps and charts from a stereographic record produced through the overlapping of consecutive aerial photographs by more than 50 percent.

A physical variable that is proportionally similar to another variable over a specified range. An analog recording contains data that is similar to the source.

Area scan, in the context of imaging and cameras, refers to a method of capturing an entire two-dimensional image in a single snapshot or exposure. Unlike line scan, which captures images one line at...

A camera designed to record astronomical objects (e.g., stars, planets, nebulae, galaxies) and their spectra.

A facility designed for the observation and recording of astronomical phenomena.

The use of photographs to record astronomical objects and phenomena for purposes of physical observation and measurement of motion, radiation and spectra.

Compilation of the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories that contains values of the line parameters of the 1-0 bands of 12C16O. Because of the high accuracy of this record, calculated spectra...

The photographic recording of the distribution and location of radioactive substances found in a specimen. The record formed is the autoradiograph.

A camera that uses multiple exposures to record the trajectory of an ordnance from a ground-level position.

Any instrument or system carried by a balloon to the upper atmosphere to measure and record atmospheric information, such as radiation observations, while reducing atmospheric interference.

The use of a short-duration electron beam to record high-speed events that occur in microscopic objects made of materials that emit visible fluorescence during electron bombardment. The method is...

Degradation factor in coherent light systems where the amplitude of the recorded signal is decreased as the number of object points is increased, resulting in poor noise performance.

Biometrics refers to the automated recognition of individuals based on their physiological or behavioral characteristics. These unique attributes are used to verify or identify individuals, often in...

A bolometer that serves to record. The photographic record formed by the bolometer may be called bolograph or bologram.

A camera system for recording lightning.

A breakout cable, also known as a fan-out cable or breakout assembly, is a type of cable that combines multiple individual cables into a single, larger cable. The breakout cable is designed to...

The photographic recording of gas bubbles produced when particles traverse liquid hydrogen in a bubble chamber.

A forerunner of the modern camera, this instrument had a focusable lens that produced a sharp image on the enclosure opposite the aperture but had no photosensitive material to record it.

A container designed to hold recording material (film, video- and audiotape) so that when it is loaded into a recording instrument, the recording material is threaded simultaneously.

A fiber optic end plate constructed by drawing a bundle of parallel fibers embedded in glass and cutting it into thin slices. These slices are assembled in a plane and heated to produce a...

A high-quality, narrow-angle lens of high aperture designed for low magnification in the recording of cathode-ray tube images.

A CCD camera, or charge-coupled device camera, is a type of digital camera that utilizes a CCD image sensor to capture and record images. CCD cameras are widely used in various applications,...