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SOLA Dictionary Terms

magneto-optics
Magneto-optics refers to the study and manipulation of the interaction between magnetic fields and light (electromagnetic...
ultraviolet reflectance
Ultraviolet reflectance refers to the ability of a material or surface to reflect UV light. Ultraviolet light is...
laser cell sorting
A moving group of fluid-suspended biological species directed through separate channels by which the population is isolated....
actinic
Stimulating light used for the production of energy through photosynthesis, solar cell or other light senstitive device.
optoisolator
An optical coupling device that uses light to bridge the gap between incompatible wire communications systems. It contains...
solar simulator
A solar simulator is a device used to replicate the spectrum and intensity of sunlight in a controlled environment for...
quantum efficiency
Quantum efficiency (QE) is a measure of the effectiveness with which a device or system, typically in the context of...
laser isotope separation
A process of isolation of various atom vapor ions by means of tuning a laser source. For example, laser enrichment is...
in vitro
In vitro is a Latin term that translates to "in glass." In scientific contexts, particularly in biology and medicine, it...
optical isolator
Also known as an optical diode, an optical isolator is a device that utilizes the Faraday effect to suppress or redirect...
cryospectroscopy
The spectrographic analysis of matter that is in a cooled state. Generally, a mechanical refrigerator is used to lower the...
edge following
In image processing, a segmentation algorithm for isolating a region in an image by following its edge.
atomic absorption spectrometer
An atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) is an analytical instrument used to determine the concentration of specific chemical...
annular eclipse
A type of solar eclipse that occurs when the sun is at perihelion and the moon is at apogee. Because the apparent size of...
Hartmann test
A test for spherical aberration, coma or astigmatism in which incident rays from a point source are isolated by small holes...
edge-defined film-fed growth
Process for growth of solar cells that results in rectangular shapes consisting of many interconnected cells in a series or...
photoisolator
 solar array
A group of solar cells that are electrically contacted and physically arranged so that they may be oriented in the direction...
spectroheliograph
An instrument in which an image of the sun is scanned by the entrance slit of a monochromator, the exit slit simultaneously...
optical channel monitor
An optical channel monitor (OCM) is a device used in optical communication systems to monitor and analyze the performance of...
antisolar point
The point to which the extension of the straight line, reaching from the sun to the observer's eye after penetrating the...
monochromator
A monochromator is an optical instrument used to isolate and select a narrow range of wavelengths from a broader spectrum of...
coronal holes
Solar regions characterized by low density and open magnetic fields where high-speed solar wind streams originate....
solar furnace
An optical system that is designed to produce a high temperature in a specified area by the optical direction and...
vacuum chamber
A vacuum chamber is a sealed enclosure from which air and other gases are removed to create a low-pressure environment,...
antireflection coating
An antireflection coating (AR coating) is a thin film or coating applied to optical surfaces, such as lenses or windows, to...
grain isolating diaphragm
In a microscope, the diaphragm located between the Bertrand lens and the eyepiece, which is closed during conoscopic viewing...
thin-film solar cell
A solar cell that is lightweight and flexible because of its construction by vacuum deposition of a semiconductor material...
solar heat storage
The process of transferring collected energy from solar radiation into a heat-absorbing medium (e.g., an insulated tank of...
fill factor
In solar energy technology, the percent of usable land covered by collectors. The horizontal collector is the only design...
in vivo
In vivo is a Latin term that translates to "within the living." In scientific contexts, particularly in biology and...
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...
solar occultation
Measurement of absorption by the gas of interest in the 2- to 6-µm range as a function of tangent height pressure. The...
transient calorimetric technique
A method of measuring total hemispherical emissivity of the plane surface of a solid that consists of thermally isolating a...
optical air mass
A measure of the optical path length for light traveling from the sun or other celestial source through Earth's atmosphere...
photovoltaic
Photovoltaic (PV) refers to a technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductors. The term...
spectral pyrheliometer
Any pyrheliometer that has a filter placed over its sensor to limit the range of solar radiation it will detect; used to...
thin-film coating
Thin-film coatings are layers of material applied to the surface of an object or substrate, typically to modify its optical,...
global radiation
The total radiation, both solar and diffuse sky, that is incident to a unit's horizontal surface.
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur...
quantum confinement
Quantum confinement refers to the phenomenon in quantum mechanics where the motion of charge carriers, such as electrons or...
dispersive power
A measure of the dispersive properties of a glass. The relative dispersion is defined as: where C, D, and F refer to the...
solar cell
A device for converting sunlight into electrical energy, consisting of a sandwich of P-type and N-type semiconducting...
photovoltaic cell
A photovoltaic cell, commonly known as a solar cell, is a semiconductor device that directly converts light energy into...
photodetector
A photodetector, also known as a photosensor or photodiode, is a device that detects and converts light into an electrical...
zodiacal light
The sunlight that extends to the earth after scattering from other solar bodies, mostly from meteorite dust of radii...
solar laser
A laser pumped by solar radiation focused by mirrors.
sun-tracking concentrator
Controlled beam technology that introduces beams of sunlight through holes in a roof that are relayed throughout the...
Angstrom compensation pyrheliometer
A system used for measuring direct solar radiation.
solar wind
The constant outward flow of weakly magnetized plasma from the sun that is deflected by the magnetic field of the earth and,...
junction diode
A semiconductor device with the property of conducting current more easily in one direction than the other. It has two...
total radiation pyrometer
Also known as a pyrradiometer. An instrument that is designed to measure heat radiation nonselectively; e.g., the...
soliton
Any isolated wave that propagates without dispersion of energy. Specifically to photonics, an ultrashort pulse of laser...
isolator
In the context of electronics and optics, an isolator refers to a device that allows the transmission of signals in one...
kron camera
Astronomical detector consisting of a photocathode isolated from the target by a coin value from which electrons are focused...
heliograph
An instrument designed to record the duration and intensity of solar radiation.
reflectance estimate
The output of spectral channels written as an integral function of known solar irradiance, atmospheric transmittance and...
automatic optical inspection
A system for automatic industrial process control or measurement, consisting of an optical module for image acquisition, a...
reflecting spectrograph
A solar spectrograph that uses long focus concave mirrors as its collimator and camera element.
thermoelectric solar cell
A solar cell that uses a thermoelectric converter, consisting of two sheets of metal with a semiconductor sandwiched between...
micropit
A laser-induced scar on experimental bare glass surfaces usually attributable to threshold damage and indicative of isolated...
mask proximity correction
A technique used in photolithography of computer chips to compensate for errors caused by the proximity effect, which...
epitaxial equipment
Epitaxial equipment refers to a set of specialized tools and systems used in the process of epitaxy, which is the growth of...
Forbush decrease
Decrease in cosmic ray activity that is observed approximately 24 hours after a solar flare, attributed to a shielding...
albedo
The ratio of radiant energy reflected from a rough surface to that incident on it. Usually, the radiant energy is total...
graphene
Graphene is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal...
silver-disc pyrheliometer
An instrument that uses a blackened silver-disc reflector with a shutter to create temperature fluctuations that are...
solar battery
A series of solar cells arranged to collect solar radiation and to generate a given amount of electrical energy.
Seebeck effect
Characteristic of dissimilar metals in thermoelectric solar cells whereby separate junctions exhibiting distinct...
point-focusing collector
A device used in solar systems to direct mirror-reflected sunlight to a heat absorber and heat-driven engine, which turns a...
hydrogel
A hydrogel is a three-dimensional network of polymer chains that are hydrophilic, meaning they have a strong affinity for...
Lyot filter
A type of filter consisting of a series of birefringent crystals and polarizers invented by French astronomer Bernard Lyot...
short-wave radiation
Characterizes the significant solar radiation at the surface of the earth, so named because its spectral range extends only...
fiber laser
A fiber laser is a type of laser in which the active gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare-earth ions such as...
solar constant of radiation
Solar radiation intensity existing in free space at the mean solar distance of the Earth. Commonly expressed in g cal...
optical diode
See Faraday rotation; optoisolator.
perovskite
The term perovskite refers to a specific crystal structure commonly found in various materials. Perovskite structures have a...
pyrheliometer
An instrument for measuring the intensity of solar radiation.
solar simulation
The simulation of solar radiation in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum for the analysis of extraterrestrial sunlight and...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically...
long-pass filter
A long-pass filter is an optical filter that allows longer wavelengths of light to pass through while blocking or...
III-V material
In semiconductor physics and materials science, the term "III-V materials" refers to compounds composed of elements from...
calorimetry
Calorimetry is a branch of science that involves the measurement of heat flow in physical or chemical processes. It...
reflective
The term reflective is an adjective that describes the ability of a surface or material to reflect light or other forms of...
optical filter
An optical filter is a device that selectively transmits or blocks specific wavelengths, or colors, of light. Optical...
optical table
An optical table, also known as an optical bench or an optical breadboard, is a specialized platform used in optics...
optoelectronic isolator
 Christiansen-effect filter
A transparent powdered solid immersed in a liquid or plastic of similar refractive index but widely different dispersion;...
optically coupled isolator
 dewetting
Dewetting is a phenomenon in materials science and physics where a thin film or coating spontaneously undergoes a process of...
epitaxy
A well controlled thin films technique for growing films with good crystal structure in ultra high vacuum environments at...
Mollier diagram
Graphic evaluation of the operation of a steam thermodynamic cycle of a solar energy system on which enthalpy is plotted...
short-arc lamp
A compact high-pressure light source in which an electrical discharge between electrodes spaced no more than 12 mm apart...
laser drift
Laser drift typically refers to a phenomenon where the frequency or wavelength of a laser source gradually changes over...
hydrogenated amorphous silicon
A photoreceptor material used in solar cells and in drums for laser printers and high-speed copiers because of its high...
grating monochromator
An optical instrument used to isolate a narrow bandwidth of optical radiation using a diffraction grating as the dispersive...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
astronomical unit
The unit generally used to express distances within the solar system, and sometimes to measure interstellar distances....
mean solar time
One of two types of solar time - the other being apparent solar time - the mean solar time is the time measured by the...
filter spectrophotometer
A spectrophotometer that makes use of filters to isolate narrow bands of the spectrum.
solar plasma
Plasma formed by heat radiation from the sun.
solar radiation
Radiation from the sun that is made up of a very wide range of wavelengths, from the long infrared to the short ultraviolet...
coronagraph
A telescope in which a mask occults the solar disk, generating an artificial eclipse and allowing observation and recording...
intravital microscopy
Intravital microscopy is an imaging technique used to visualize biological processes within living organisms, typically in...
solar black
A material, such as gold black and carbon black, that is used as a solar absorber because of its high absorptance and low...
Dobson spectrophotometer
A spectrophotometer that measures the amount of ozone in the atmosphere through a comparison of solar energy at two...
bandgap
In semiconductor physics, the term bandgap refers to the energy range in a material where no electronic states are allowed....
infrared optic
Infrared optics refer to optical components and systems designed to manipulate and control infrared (IR) light, which lies...
optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is a branch of electronics that focuses on the study and application of devices and systems that use light...
solarization
1. The reduction in the developable density of a photographic emulsion that has been extremely overexposed. 2. In a laser...
mercury arc
An electric arc that is formed in mercury vapor through which an electric current flows. The intensity of the illumination...
solar absorber
A substance capable of converting solar radiation into thermal energy.

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