A theoretical instrument conceived of as a box that receives a beam of radiation of any arbitrary polarization angle and produces a new beam, coaxial with the incident beam, having a specified new polarization angle.

1. A defect inherent in a multiple-axis positioning system whereby an adjustment of one axis causes an undesired change in...

A measure of the total light passed by a shutter during an exposure, compared with the light that could be passed by an...

Diamond turning, also known as diamond machining or diamond cutting, is a precision machining process used to produce...

Phase distortion refers to a change in the phase relationships between different frequency components of a signal. In the...

An atomic clock is a highly precise timekeeping device that uses the vibrations or oscillations of atoms as a reference for...

The change in position of the image of a sine wave object from its ideal position. Usually measured in degrees with...

Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) is a specialized technique in biophysics and molecular...

Optofluidics is an interdisciplinary field that combines principles from optics and fluidics to create devices and systems...

Nanoparticle photonic resonator absorption microscopy is a microscopy technique that combines the principles of photonic...

In the context of optics and lasers, a transverse mode refers to a specific spatial pattern of the electric field within the...

A part of the spectrochemical analysis of a sample that deals with the excitation of that sample by flame analysis.

Aplanatic points refer to specific points in an optical system where certain aberrations, such as spherical aberration or...

The refraction that would take place in an idealized atmosphere where the refractive index is reduced uniformly with height...

A field of physics that deals with light as if it truly were composed of rays diverging in various directions from the...

The area of optics that deals with the propagation of Gaussian laser beams in free space, or any general medium - i.e....

A time-to-amplitude converter (TAC) is an electronic circuit that converts a time interval between two events into an...

A surface heat-treating process that produces a highly stressed surface. In case-hardening of glass, a plate of glass is...

The science that deals with the measurement of optical absorbance (i.e. optical densities) over microscopic areas of a given...

Method of preserving the measured color value and color information as it is translated from differing devices. For example...

Indicating a capability to deal with a relatively wide spectral bandwidth.

An ideal body that completely absorbs all radiant energy striking it and, therefore, appears perfectly black at all...

A measure of the optical path length for light traveling from the sun or other celestial source through Earth's atmosphere...

Fused quartz and silica are closely related materials, both composed primarily of silicon dioxide (SiO2), but they are...

The deviation from the ideal case where a circular variable filter is located at a given wavelength along a radial line (or...

Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free...

The process of binding or attaching larger metal sheets by laser welding. The effect is generated by higher power densities...

Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to...

Sapphire refers to a crystalline form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) that is used in various optical and photonic applications...

That branch of science involved in the study and utilization of the motion, emissions and behaviors of currents of...

The determination of the degree to which a manufactured component can deviate from its ideal specifications of material and...

Pyramid error in optics refers to an aberration in the shape of an optical surface, particularly in the context of mirrors....

An electron-beam lithography (EBL) system is a sophisticated nanofabrication tool used in the semiconductor industry and...

3D Laser Triangulation - A technology that allows sensors to probe the surroundings. Laser triangulation systems have an...

Nanopositioning refers to the precise and controlled movement or manipulation of objects or components at the nanometer...

Any filter in which the range of frequencies within a chosen radius suffers no attenuation and the range of frequencies...

A blackbody source, often simply referred to as a blackbody, is a theoretical or practical physical object that absorbs all...

A statistical method of dealing with a series of values where each value is squared, the mean of these squares is...

A breakout cable, also known as a fan-out cable or breakout assembly, is a type of cable that combines multiple individual...

Mie scattering, named after the German physicist Gustav Mie, refers to the scattering of electromagnetic radiation (such as...

The area of optics that deals with the interaction of light with a given material. The optical properties of material are...

An intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera is an advanced imaging device that combines the capabilities of both an...

The angular spectrum approach is a mathematical and computational technique used in the field of optics to analyze and...

The amount by which an optical surface deviates from its ideal design value, expressed in wavelengths of light. Optical...

A transparent block shaped accurately to reverse curvatures of the components it is used to test. By contacting an...

A crystal that is devoid of any mosaic structure and that can reflect x-rays, relative to the Darwin-Ewald-Prins law.

A wide-angle lens is a type of camera lens that has a shorter focal length than a standard or normal lens, allowing it to...

A statistical method of dealing with a series of values where each value is squared, the sum of these squares is calculated...

In optics, an octave typically refers to a range of frequencies or wavelengths that spans a factor of 2. In other words,...

A source that attempts to create the characteristics of an ideal blackbody. It consists of a cavity, generally spherical,...

Controlled beam technology that introduces beams of sunlight through holes in a roof that are relayed throughout the...

The term quantum refers to the fundamental unit or discrete amount of a physical quantity involved in interactions at the...

The branch of optics that deals with the study of the refraction of light, particularly by the transmitting medium of the...

1. The branch of physics that deals with the use of electrical energy to create or manipulate light waves, generally by...

Optical fiber is a thin, flexible, transparent strand or filament made of glass or plastic used for transmitting light...

A well plate, also known as a microplate or microtiter plate, is a flat plate with multiple small wells or depressions...

In infrared imaging systems used for mass screening of printed circuit boards or other quality control applications, an...

Sapphire crystal refers to a transparent, single-crystal form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) known as corundum. It is one of the...

Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...

A theoretical, ideal lens capable of producing perfect images. Used as a lens design and analysis tool to image collimated...

The process of adjusting input pixel by pixel at the filter plane to adapt to nondeal phase behavior in an optical...

Photometry is the branch of science that deals with the measurement of light, particularly in terms of its intensity and the...

A departure from ideal paraxial imaging behavior. The distortion of an optical field wavefront as it is propagated through...

Seidel aberrations refer to a set of monochromatic aberrations in optical systems, named after the German mathematician and...

In physics, the law of reversibility is often associated with the concept of reversibility in thermodynamics. The law...

Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter...

A factor, F, indicating the increase in shot noise in an avalanche photodiode as compared with the ideal multiplier, which...

The technology that deals with the interaction of organic materials with light and other forms of radiant energy whose...