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42 terms

Photonics Dictionary: B

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balloon-borne astronomical system

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.

blind approach beacon system

A ground-based navigation beacon that emits pulsed signals which are picked up by aircraft making an instrument (blind) approach in landing. The signal is transmitted to the aircraft's L-scan...

b integral

Calculates the exponential growth of the least stable spatial frequency in a laser beam, and is the numerical equivalent of the nonlinear phase shift along the laser system's optical axis.

back focal length

The distance from the final optic within a system to the rear image point of the system. See focal length.

backlash

In a mechanical system, any lost motion between driving and driven elements due to clearance between parts.

backreflection -> narcissus

A defect in infrared systems that appears as a dark circular area on a displayed image, caused by radiation reflecting into a detector. It can be reduced by low-reflective coatings or by altering the...

backscatter

Backscatter refers to the phenomenon in which radiation or waves are scattered backward, opposite to the direction of the incident beam. This occurs when the incident radiation encounters a target or...

backstreaming

The term used in reference to vacuum systems using oil and diffusion pumps, describes the migration of pump fluids and their decomposition products into the vacuum chamber.

baffle

An opaque shielding device designed to reduce the effect of stray light on an optical system.

bakeout

The elimination of gases from the surfaces of a vacuum system by heating the surfaces when the pumping phase is occurring.

Baker-Nunn camera

A wide-field camera based on the classic Schmidt optical system used to photograph Earth-orbiting satellites.

bandwidth-limited operation

In fiber optics, the limitation on performance imposed by the system bandwidth rather than the amplitude of the signal.

baselength

The distance between pupil centers in a two-pupil system, measured perpendicularly to the optic axis.

BDS

beam-delivery system

beaconage

A system of beacons used in navigation.

beam bender

A mirror used to manipulate the beam in a laser system.

beam expander

A system of optical components designed to increase the diameter of a radiation beam. Usually an afocal system.

beam positioner

A device (e.g., prisms, lenses, tubes) used to align a beam in a system.

beam profiling

Beam profiling is a technique used to characterize and analyze the spatial intensity distribution of a laser beam. It involves measuring and visualizing how the optical power or intensity is...

beam shaper

A beam shaper is an optical device or system designed to modify the spatial profile or intensity distribution of a laser or light beam. The goal is to transform the incoming beam into a desired shape...

beamwidth

The angular width of a radiation beam. With respect to a conical beam of light, it is the vertex angle of the cone. The beamwidth is a measure of the rate of divergence or convergence of a light...

BEST

business EDR system technique

bias buildup

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.

binary on-off

Signal used in optical transmission systems to generate currents in a detector that are decoded with reference to a specified threshold.

biometrics

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...

bionics

The application of observed operational processes of sophisticated living organisms to mechanical and electrical systems in order to analogize capabilities or efficiency.

biostimulation

The action of a biological system responding to a single or multiple coherent particles of light produced from a laser source. Examples of laser biostimulation include: retinal interaction of light...

bit error rate

The ratio of the number of bits received incorrectly to the total number of bits transmitted digitally in a system.

blackbody source

A blackbody source, often simply referred to as a blackbody, is a theoretical or practical physical object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation incident upon it and emits radiation in a...

blaze height

Blaze height typically refers to a parameter in the context of diffraction gratings, which are optical devices consisting of a series of closely spaced parallel grooves or slits. The blaze height is...

blink comparator

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

blue diode laser

A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically between 400 and 500 nanometers. Diode lasers are compact,...

blur circle

A blur circle refers to the out-of-focus region in an image captured by an optical system. When an object in a scene is not in perfect focus, its image is spread out into a circular shape on the...

Bohr's frequency relation

The law given by the formula: that is, the frequency of radiation emitted or absorbed by a system when E2 and E1 are the energies of the states among which transition takes place, and h is...

borescope

A device for the internal inspection of hard-to-get-at mechanical parts, such as rifle barrels, sewer pipes, oil wells, or gas mains. The long narrow tube used contains a telescope system with as...

boresight

The alignment process that makes the optical axes of two related systems parallel to each other. Also, making the optical axis parallel to a related weapon system axis.

Boys camera

A camera system for recording lightning.

Bragg spectrometer -> ionization spectrometer

Also known as the Bragg spectrometer. A system used for the x-ray analysis of crystal structure. In the instrument, a homogeneous beam of x-rays is directed on the known face of a crystal and the...

Bravais-Miller index

One of the constants h, k, f or I, used to demonstrate any set of parallel planes in a crystal of the hexagonal system.

brightness resolution

The degree to which a pixel in a digital image represents the analog brightness of the corresponding point in the original image. It is dependent largely on the number of bits devoted to representing...

Brillouin scattering

Brillouin scattering is a phenomenon in physics where an incident electromagnetic wave (usually light) interacts with acoustic phonons (quantized lattice vibrations) in a material, resulting in the...

broadband dielectric mirrors

Broadband dielectric mirrors, also known as broadband mirrors, are optical coatings designed to efficiently reflect or transmit light over a broad range of wavelengths. These mirrors are constructed...

Photonics DictionaryB

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