Free Summit Next Week: Learn from over 150 years of Optical Design Experience!
Search
Menu
Videology Industrial-Grade Cameras - Custom Embedded Cameras LB 2024
ALON Dictionary Terms

fiber-coupled LED
A fiber-coupled LED (light-emitting diode) refers to an LED device that is optically coupled to an optical fiber for the...
anisotropic
Anisotropic is a term used to describe a material or substance that exhibits different properties or behaviors in different...
whispering gallery mode
Whispering gallery mode (WGM) refers to a phenomenon in wave physics, particularly in optics, where waves, such as light or...
electrostatic charge
The effect produced by electrical charges or fields alone, without interaction with magnetic influence.
optical waveguide
Any structure having the ability to guide the flow of radiant energy along a path parallel to its axis and to contain the...
telephotometer
An instrument used to measure the luminance (brightness) of a distant object. The object is viewed through a small...
optical artifacts
Optical artifacts refer to undesired or unintended effects that can occur in optical systems, such as microscopes, cameras,...
galvanometric scanner
A galvanometric scanner, also known as a galvanometer scanner or galvo scanner, is a type of optical scanning device used to...
coaxial gas
A jet of inert gas along a laser welding beam's axis that cools, protects or cleans the work surface.
Billet's split lens
An experimental lens used to produce interference fringes. A positive lens is cut into halves along its center, and the...
laser sintering
Laser sintering is an additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that involves using a laser to selectively fuse...
long-path absorption spectroscopy
The method that, by measuring the absorption along an atmospheric path at wavelengths ranging from two to a continuum, can...
conjugate ratio
The ratio between the object distance and the image distance measured along the principal axis of a lens or mirror. An...
phonon
A phonon is a quantum of vibrational energy associated with the periodic motion of atoms or molecules in a crystalline...
line scan
Line scan refers to a method of capturing images or data by scanning a single line at a time, as opposed to capturing the...
optical switching
Optical switching refers to the process of controlling the routing or transmission of optical signals within a network using...
signal level
Calculation of peak and average transmission power at a given point along an optical fiber or cable.
spectral repeatability
Spectral repeatability refers to the consistency and reproducibility of spectral measurements across multiple trials or...
transversely excited atmosphere carbon dioxide laser
Abbreviated TEA CO2 laser. A gas laser that provides shorter pulses and higher peak powers than conventional CO2 lasers. The...
multiplexing
The combination of two or more signals for transmission along a single wire, path or carrier. In most optical communication...
fiber-linked array image formatter
A wide-field multiobject spectroscopy system used in astronomy, in which a bundle of low-loss optical fibers positioned on...
Sellmeier's equation
An equation that uses the wavelength of light passing through a medium, along with a set of coefficients, to calculate the...
end-fire coupling
End-fire coupling refers to a method of coupling energy into or out of a waveguide, transmission line, or antenna, where the...
Mach-Zehnder interferometer
A Mach-Zehnder interferometer is an optical device used to measure the phase difference between two collimated beams of...
radial runoff
The deviation from the ideal case where a circular variable filter is located at a given wavelength along a radial line (or...
geometric image
The position and shape of the image of a point source, as predicted by geometric optics alone. The geometric image is to be...
Dove prism
A form of prism invented by H.W. Dove. It resembles half of a common right-angle prism in which a ray entering parallel to...
biaxial crystal
A birefringent crystal having two axes along which there is an absence of double refraction. Mica, sulphur and turquoise are...
axicon
An optical device that produces a line image lying along the axis from a point source of light; therefore, it has no...
Paschen-Runge mounting
A mounting used for large concave gratings, whereby the slit, grating and plate holder lie in the Rowland circle, and the...
long-pass filter
A long-pass filter is an optical filter that allows longer wavelengths of light to pass through while blocking or...
pushbroom scanning
Pushbroom scanning is a technique used in remote sensing and imaging systems, particularly in satellite and aerial sensors,...
echelle
A grating that serves to provide higher resolution and dispersion than the average grating, and still has a greater free...
corner cube
A corner cube, also known as a corner reflector or retroreflector prism, is a type of optical device used to reflect light...
motion controller
In optics, a motion controller refers to a device or system that precisely controls the movement of optical components, such...
fiber optic preform
A fiber optic preform is a cylindrical glass rod or tube used as the starting material for manufacturing optical fibers. It...
thermal interface materials
Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are substances or compounds used to enhance the thermal conductivity between two surfaces...
dichroic mirror
A dichroic mirror, also known as a dichroic beamsplitter or interference filter beamsplitter, is an optical device that...
double refraction
The separation of unpolarized light into two plane-polarized elements by a doubly refracting crystal. When a crystal, such...
finesse
For a Fabry-Perot interferometer or etalon, a value for the transmission bandwidth which can be calculated as the ratio of...
ferroelectric materials
Ferroelectric materials are a type of dielectric materials that exhibit spontaneous electric polarization, meaning they...
optogenetics
A discipline that combines optics and genetics to enable the use of light to stimulate and control cells in living tissue,...
uniaxial crystal
A doubly refracting crystal having a single axis along which there is an absence of double refraction.
axial color
A lens aberration that causes axial light rays having different wavelengths to focus at various points along the axis.
calcite interference microscope
A microscope that allows examination of a small crystal and conveniently provides linearly polarized object and reference...
line-scan camera
A line-scan camera, also known as a line-scan image sensor or linear array camera, is a type of digital camera designed to...
longitudinal mode
A waveform that can oscillate along the length of the laser cavity.
infrared light-emitting diode
An infrared light-emitting diode (IR LED) is a semiconductor device that emits infrared light when an electric current...
single-photon avalanche diode
A single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) is a specialized type of photodetector designed to detect extremely weak optical...
optical character recognition
Optical character recognition (OCR) is a technology that is used to convert printed or handwritten text into...
plasmonics
Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free...
optical time-domain reflectometer
An optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is a specialized instrument used in optical fiber communications to characterize...
Fabry-Perot etalon
A nonabsorbing, multireflecting device, similar in design to the Fabry-Perot interferometer, that serves as a multilayer,...
bevel face width
The actual width of a bevel rather than its width projected along the lens aperture.
atmospheric optics
The analysis of the properties of radiation, such as light, when acted upon by variations in the atmosphere. Blue and red...
optical testing instrument
An optical testing instrument is a device or system used to evaluate and measure the performance, quality, and...
surface electromagnetic waves
Waves that propagate along the interface between two different media without radiation with exponentially decaying...
multileg lightguide
A fiber optic bundle split along its length with the ends of the fibers extending separately to illuminate different points...
CCD image sensor
A CCD image sensor, or charge-coupled device image sensor, is a type of electronic device used to convert optical images...
critical angle
The least angle of incidence at which total internal reflection takes place. The angle of incidence in a denser medium, at...
microchannel plate
A microchannel plate (MCP) is a specialized electron multiplier device used in various applications such as particle...
direct radiative transition
An energy transition concerned with photons alone.
fixed axis of rotation
The locus of points in a system along a line that remains stationary while the remainder of the system rotates.
observatory dome
A hemispherical covering that is rotatable about a central axis. There is a slit opening along one side wide enough to allow...
Hypalon
E.I. duPont's trade name for a material used in the jacket of fiber optic cables. It is flame-retardant, thermally stable...
accelerometer
An accelerometer is a sensor or transducer that measures the rate of change of velocity of an object, or in simpler terms,...
overall distance
The physical distance, measured along the optical axis, from the object to the image. Also called overall length.
channel electron multiplier
A photoelectric detector consisting of a glass tube internally coated with a low conductance material. Voltage applied along...
volumetric imaging
Volumetric imaging refers to the capture, visualization, and analysis of three-dimensional (3D) information from a volume of...
scribing
The process of perforating a silicon or ceramic substrate with a series of tiny holes along which it will break. Nd:YAG or...
optical gate
An optical gate typically refers to a device or system that controls the transmission of light, allowing it to pass through...
anamorphic
A term used to denote a difference in magnification along mutually perpendicular meridians. Anamorphic systems are basically...
thermionic emission
The emission of free electrons by a rise in temperature of the cathode alone.
interferometric calorimetry
Heat measurement method in which the sample is made part of the interferometer and the temperature increase is determined by...
edge-emitting LED
An edge-emitting light-emitting diode is a type of LED structure where light emission occurs primarily along the edge of the...
transition
The process whereby a quantum mechanical system alters from one energy level to another. During this process, energy is...
confocal scanning microscope
A microscope design that involves apertures inserted in conjugate plane positions inside the microscope, with one aperture...
matched transmission line
A transmission line having no wave reflection along its path.
saddle
A term used to describe a saddle-shaped -- i.e., convex along one axis, concave along the other -- polished surface,...
fiber optic sensor
A fiber optic sensor is a device that uses optical fibers to detect and measure physical, chemical, biological, or...
axial gradient
In gradient index optics, a gradient profile in which the refractive index varies along the direction of light propagation,...
pixel
A pixel, short for "picture element," is the smallest controllable element of a digital image or display. It is a...
bistatic reflectivity
Characteristic of a reflector that reflects light along a different line or lines than that of the incident ray.
synthetic aperture radar
Imaging radar that increases the sweep of its along-track (or azimuth) capacity by measuring not only the time delay of the...
mutual coherent function
A function that quantifies the performance degradation of coherent communications systems, imaging systems and all systems...
optically compensating zoom system
A variable focal length lens system that retains the object in focus as one or more lenses move as a unit along its optical...
Johansson geometry
A design for bent crystal monochromators in which spacing is constant along any circular arc terminating at the two foci and...
embedded laser
The term "embedded laser" typically refers to a laser device that is integrated or embedded into a larger system or...
coudé
A set of mirrors along a telescope's polar axis designed to redirect light to a fixed position without being affected by the...
radial velocity
The velocity from object to observer, directed along the line of sight.
lensometer
An ophthalmic instrument used to measure the magnitude and direction of the maximum and minimum powers of a spectacle lens,...
x-plates
Two flat parallel electrodes that are vertically mounted alongside each other in a cathode-ray tube and produce horizontal...
transmitter
In fiber optic communications, a light source whose beam can be modulated and sent along an optical fiber, and the...
Lummer-Gehrcke plate
A high-resolution spectroscopic device commonly used in the early 20th century as a component of double-beam...
laser gyroscope
Counter propagating beams imaged along the same path in order to detect rotation. Precise rotation is measured through...
axial propagation constant
The propagation constant evaluated along the axis of a waveguide, that is, in the direction of transmission. Also called...
optical contact
The adhesion of two sufficiently clean and close-fitting surfaces without the use of cement or glue. The optically contacted...
beacon
A device, either visual or electronic, that emits signals to identify set positions for use in the navigation of aircraft...
fiber optic cable assembly
A fiber optic cable assembly refers to a complete unit consisting of optical fibers, connectors, protective jackets, and...
linear positioning stage
A linear positioning stage, also known as a linear stage or translation stage, is a precision mechanical device used to...
multi-axis alignment
Multi-axis alignment refers to the process of aligning or adjusting components or systems in multiple spatial dimensions or...
Becke line
A band of light that appears along the outer edge of a transparent material under microscopic investigation and that moves...
retroreflector
A retroreflector is an optical device or structure that reflects incident light or electromagnetic waves back to their...
fluorescence correlation spectroscopy
A powerful method, referred to as FCS, for determining the average diffusion coefficients of fluorescent molecules in...
free-spectral range
The frequency space between consecutive transmission peaks in the transmission spectrum of a Fabry-Perot interferometer or...
b integral
Calculates the exponential growth of the least stable spatial frequency in a laser beam, and is the numerical equivalent of...
etalon
An etalon is an optical device that consists of two parallel reflecting surfaces separated by a precise and known distance....
azimuthal polarization
Azimuthal polarization refers to a specific polarization state of light where the electric field vector of the...
numerical aperture
The sine of the vertex angle of the largest cone of meridional rays that can enter or leave an optical system or element,...
inverse piezoelectric effect
The resulting contraction or expansion of a piezoelectric crystal along an electric axis when the crystal is under the...
ionic focusing
Also known as gas focusing. The introduction of an inert gas into a cathode-ray tube for the concentration of the electron...
phase shifting
A technique used to generate a phase shift between reference and sample light beams. The phase shift can be performed...
low-pass filter
In digital image processing, a method of convolution that reduces random noise by replacing the value of each pixel with the...
polarization
Polarization refers to the orientation of oscillations in a transverse wave, such as light waves, radio waves, or other...
lateral wave
Light generated along the interface when light is incident in the neighborhood of the total internal reflection angle.
photovoltaic
Photovoltaic (PV) refers to a technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductors. The term...
band-to-band photoluminescence
The emission of a photon by the return of an excited carrier from the conduction band to the valence band of a semiconductor...
integrated photonics
Integrated photonics is a field of study and technology that involves the integration of optical components, such as lasers,...
component
1. A constituent part. It may consist of two or more parts cemented together, or with near and approximately matching...
normal emergence
The emergence of a ray along the normal to the emergent surface of a medium.
side-lit cable
A type of fiber optic cable that emits light from its sides along its length.
cutting
The process of forming a lens to a given pattern, or of cutting a piece of glass along the line of scratch.
mirage
The distortion of an object's true image as the result of abnormal atmospheric disturbances along the path traveled by the...
electronic line scanning
A method that uses electronic means to move the scanning spot along the scanning line.
anisotropy
Anisotropy refers to the property of exhibiting different values or characteristics when measured in different directions....
stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy
Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) is a superresolution microscopy technique that enables imaging of...
retroreflection
Retroreflection is a phenomenon in optics where light is reflected back toward its source, typically in a direction nearly...
ion laser
A laser in which the transition involved in stimulated emission of radiation takes place between two levels of an ionized...
light sectioning
Technique for measuring the volume bulk of materials as they move along a conveyor with an accuracy of better than 1...
color comparator
1. A device used in chemistry to compare the colors of solutions held in flat-bottomed tubes and viewed along the length of...
optical strain sensors
Optical strain sensors are devices that utilize optical principles to measure the deformation or strain experienced by a...
qubit
A qubit, short for quantum bit, is the fundamental unit of information in quantum computing and quantum information...
chromatic aberration
Chromatic aberration is an optical phenomenon that occurs when different wavelengths (colors) of light are refracted by a...
fiber optic taper
A coherent fiber optic bundle made from fibers whose diameter changes gradually along its length. Used to magnify or reduce...
surface acoustic wave
An acoustic wave that propagates along the surface of a solid and decays exponentially with substrate depth. Also called a...
standing wave
The combination of two waves having the same frequency and amplitude and traveling in opposite directions. Standing waves...
particle acceleration
Particle acceleration refers to the process by which charged particles, such as electrons or protons, gain kinetic energy...
compound crosspoint
A device for obtaining very low crosstalk in a crosspoint by arranging two simple switches along different arms of a passive...
diamond turning
Diamond turning, also known as diamond machining or diamond cutting, is a precision machining process used to produce...
cylindrical lens
A cylindrical lens is an optical component that has different curvatures along its two orthogonal axes, resulting in a shape...
neutron drip line
Prediction based on observations of nuclear masses in the valley of stability that indicates the maximum number of electrons...
output spectrum display
The direct computation of the Fourier transform of the space variant system output of an optical processor with a single...
photon jet
A photon jet is a narrow, highly collimated beam of light that is formed when light interacts with small dielectric...
brightness meter
An instrument for measuring the brightness (luminance) of a scene. It may be a spot meter, covering an area of a degree or...
fiber optics
The use of thin flexible glass or plastic fibers as wave guides — or "light pipes" — to channel light from one...
time delay integration
A method of scanning in which a frame transfer device produces a continuous video image of a moving object by means of a...
galvanometer mirror
A small mirror, sometimes plane and sometimes concave, attached to the rotating coil of a galvanometer to cause a spot of...
crystal quartz
The naturally occurring crystalline form of silicon dioxide. It is slightly birefringent and exhibits rotary dispersion of...
null curve
A plane along which destructive interference takes place.
CoaXPress
CoaXPress (CoaXPress or CXP) is a standardized digital interface and communication protocol used primarily in machine vision...
zoom lens
An optical system of variable focal length, the focal plane remaining in a fixed position. This result is achieved by moving...
autocollimating spectrograph
A spectrograph in which the refracted beam returns almost along the path traveled by the incident beam, and is brought to a...
GaN distributed feedback lasers
GaN (gallium nitride) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers refer to a specific type of semiconductor laser based on Gallium...
pyramid error
Pyramid error in optics refers to an aberration in the shape of an optical surface, particularly in the context of mirrors....
spectral order (diffraction grating)
When, for example, a beam of monochromatic light passes through a diffraction grating, the emergent rays that have remained...
synchrotron
A synchrotron is a type of particle accelerator that uses magnetic fields to steer charged particles, typically electrons or...
Babinet compensator
A device containing two opposed quartz wedges of equal angle, one wedge being movable along its length by a micrometer...
refractive index profile
The description of the refractive index along a fiber diameter.
polymerase chain reaction
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a widely used molecular biology technique used to amplify a specific segment of DNA...
etaloning
Etaloning is an optical phenomenon that occurs in imaging systems, particularly in devices such as spectrometers,...
phage
A phage, short for bacteriophage, is a type of virus that infects and replicates within bacteria. Phages are composed of...
microbubble resonator
A microbubble resonator is a device used in photonics and optical physics for the precise manipulation of light waves. It...
acousto-optic tunable filter
A bulk crystalline optic which permits the propagation of light through a volume of index altered material. The variation in...
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of optical lens that consists of a series of concentric grooves or steps carved into a flat, thin...
fiber Bragg grating
A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is a type of optical filter that is inscribed or "written" into the core of an optical fiber. It...
charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a type of electronic image sensor used in various imaging devices, including digital...

(166 results found)

Explore Our Content
News
Features
Latest Products
Webinars
White Papers
All Things Photonics Podcast
Videos
Our Summits & Conferences
Industry Events
Bookstore
Join Our Community
Subscribe
Advertise
Become a member
Sign in
Contribute a Feature
Suggest a Webinar
Submit a Press Release
Mobile Apps

About Us
Our Company
Our Publications
Contact Us
Career Opportunities
Teddi C. Laurin Scholarship

Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)



©2024 Photonics Media
100 West St.
Pittsfield, MA, 01201 USA
[email protected]
We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.