Photonics Dictionary: S

A spectroradiometer having a means to scan different regions of the light spectrum, providing simultaneous representations of amplitude vs. wavelength of the spectrum.

A self-interference effect that generates random patterns; secondary speckle pattern (SSP) typically occurs in diffuse reflections of a laser on paper, white paint or rough surfaces. By tracking both...

An aperture consisting of a semitransparent central region whose amplitude transmittance only is varied, and the relative phase difference between the central and annular region is fixed as p -...

A spatial light modulator (SLM) is an optical device that modulates or manipulates the amplitude, phase, or polarization of light in two dimensions, typically in the form of an array. SLMs are...

A scanning device used to cyclically tune through a given frequency range to determine the amplitude-frequency distribution of the signals present, usually by displaying output on a chart or...

A wave that changes from one amplitude to the other in a short time compared with the wavelength.

The combination of two waves having the same frequency and amplitude and traveling in opposite directions. Standing waves are indicated by a stationary set of nodes spaced one-half wavelength apart...

Radiation similar in origin to spontaneous emission but determined by the presence of other radiation having the same frequency. Because the phase and amplitude of the stimulated wave depend on the...

An acoustic wave that propagates along the surface of a solid and decays exponentially with substrate depth. Also called a Rayleigh wave, it has both longitudinal and transverse (shear) components....