Photonics Dictionary: R

Inactive optically, but having the capacity for resolution into forms of opposed optical activity. The term is derived from racemic acid, an optically inactive, tartaric acid.

Optical glasses containing the oxides of rare earths such as lanthanum to impart a very high refractive index combined with a low dispersive power.

Reactive evaporation refers to a process in thin-film deposition where a material is deposited onto a substrate through evaporation, and chemical reactions take place during or after the evaporation...

A measure of the relative difference in refractive index between two optical materials. Most commonly used in fiber optics where the refractive index contrast, D, is given as follows: where n1 equals...

A retroreflector is an optical device or structure that reflects incident light or electromagnetic waves back to their source, regardless of the direction from which the light approaches. Unlike...

The optically pumped, solid-state laser that uses sapphire as the host lattice and chromium as the active ion. The emission takes place in the red portion of the spectrum.

A ruticon is an opto-electronic device in which light going through it can be modulated by an electric field. The intensity distribution of the resulting image can be precisely controlled....