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optical elements Dictionary Terms

Raman fiber probe
A flexible fiber cable with a small diameter that transports light from the excitation laser to the target. Used in Raman...
linear optics
Linear optics refers to the study and manipulation of light in a linear and deterministic manner, where the response of...
optical materials
Optical materials refer to substances or compounds specifically chosen for their optical properties and used in the...
interferometer
An instrument that employs the interference of lightwaves to measure the accuracy of optical surfaces; it can measure a...
MEMS fiber optic switch
A MEMS fiber optic switch is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device designed to selectively route optical signals...
optical coatings
Optical coatings are thin layers of materials applied to optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, filters, and prisms,...
astronomical mirror
An astronomical mirror, also known as a telescope mirror or primary mirror, is a key component of a reflecting telescope. It...
binary optics
Optical elements, often created by micromachining, lithography or vacuum deposition, that rely on diffraction of the...
entrance slit
The entrance slit, also known simply as the slit, is an essential component in optical instruments such as spectrometers and...
optical cement
A permanent, transparent, and highly transmissive adhesive capable of withstanding extreme temperatures that is applied to...
micro-optics
Micro-optics refers to the design, fabrication, and application of optical components and systems at a microscale level....
optical phase distortion
Optical phase distortion refers to a phenomenon where the phase of an optical wavefront is altered as it propagates through...
ring blocking
The formation of a block by attaching optical elements to a plate with a ring of pitch or other thermoplastic material.
optical glass
Optical glass refers to a type of glass specifically engineered and manufactured for use in optical components and systems,...
prism
A prism is a geometric optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. It is typically a solid, transparent...
adaptive optics
Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of...
button blocking
The production of a block by attaching the optical elements to a plate by means of individual buttons of pitch or other...
blocking pitch
An adhesive used to affix optical elements to an approximately shaped body -- usually of cast iron.
phase mask
In optics and photolithography, a phase mask refers to a device that modifies the phase of light waves passing through it....
Martens wedge
A wedge-shaped piece of quartz typically found in a polarimeter to monitor and rotate the plane of polarization of plane...
acousto-optics
Discipline within optical physics that addresses sound vibration, phonon effects and their influencing behavior within...
coated optics
Optical elements that have been coated with one or more layers of dielectric, or metallic material. These coatings serve to...
etaloning
Etaloning is an optical phenomenon that occurs in imaging systems, particularly in devices such as spectrometers,...
Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor
The Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is an optical device used for measuring the wavefront aberrations of an optical system....
angular spectrum approach
The angular spectrum approach is a mathematical and computational technique used in the field of optics to analyze and...
aplanatic surface
An aplanatic surface is an optical surface that is specifically designed or shaped to minimize spherical aberration and...
optical assembly
An optical assembly refers to a collection of optical components that are carefully arranged and aligned to perform a...
transfer blocking
A process used to control thickness and parallelism precisely during the production of plane-parallel plates. Elements are...
lattice
In photonics, a lattice refers to a periodic arrangement of optical elements or structures, often on a microscopic or...
beam shaper
A beam shaper is an optical device or system designed to modify the spatial profile or intensity distribution of a laser or...
optical design and engineering services
Optical design and engineering services involve the development, customization, and optimization of optical systems and...
Matrix optics
The linear relationship between input and output optical fields for a given optical system or application that allows the...
laser diode module
A laser diode module is a compact device that incorporates a laser diode, optics, and often other components into a single...
unblocking
The process whereby optical elements are removed from a block.
blocking cement
An adhesive used to hold optical elements to blocking tools. It is usually a thermoplastic substance such as resin, beeswax,...
beam profiling
Beam profiling is a technique used to characterize and analyze the spatial intensity distribution of a laser beam. It...
freeform optics
Freeform optics refers to the design and fabrication of optical surfaces that do not follow traditional symmetric shapes,...
solid optics
Optical elements arranged with no spaces between, so that the light travels only through glass, not air.
optofluidics
Optofluidics is an interdisciplinary field that combines principles from optics and fluidics to create devices and systems...
deblocking
The removal of optical elements from a block.
lens testing equipment
Lens testing equipment refers to a range of specialized tools and instruments used to evaluate the optical performance,...
Murty interferometer
A form of shearing interferometer that contains a simple wedged (plane-parallel) glass plate with a nonzero optical path...
contact blocking
Also called color blocking. The formation of a block by making optical contact between a number of optical elements and a...
optical design software
Optical design software refers to specialized computer programs used by optical engineers, physicists, and designers to...
optical table
An optical table, also known as an optical bench or an optical breadboard, is a specialized platform used in optics...
cement
An adhesive used for bonding optical elements or for holding devices.
diffractive optics
Optical elements that use diffraction to control wavefronts. Diffractive optical elements include diffraction gratings,...
Fresnel reflection loss
Reflection losses incurred at input and output of optical elements because of the difference in refractive index between...
optical constructor
A system of modular mechanical components for building precision optical systems. The basic equipment includes a variety of...
infrared optic
Infrared optics refer to optical components and systems designed to manipulate and control infrared (IR) light, which lies...
infrared lens
An infrared lens is an optical component specifically designed and optimized for transmitting, focusing, or manipulating...
holography
Holography is a technique used to capture and reconstruct three-dimensional images using the principles of interference and...
rotating hologram
A disc composed of a series of holographic optical elements that diffract light at various angles. When spinning, a raster...
optical component
One or more optical elements – typically cemented together - in an optical system that are treated as a single group;...
optical manufacturing tools and machinery
Optical manufacturing tools and machinery encompass a wide range of equipment, instruments, and systems used in the...
magnetorheological finishing
Magnetorheological finishing (MRF) is a precision optics polishing technique used for shaping and finishing optical surfaces...
eccentricity
In the tolerancing of optical elements, the displacement of the optical axis from the mechanical axis.
motion controller
In optics, a motion controller refers to a device or system that precisely controls the movement of optical components, such...
thin-film coating
Thin-film coatings are layers of material applied to the surface of an object or substrate, typically to modify its optical,...
chromatic aberration
Chromatic aberration is an optical phenomenon that occurs when different wavelengths (colors) of light are refracted by a...
integrated photonics
Integrated photonics is a field of study and technology that involves the integration of optical components, such as lasers,...
metasurfaces
Metasurfaces are two-dimensional arrays of subwavelength-scale artificial structures, often referred to as meta-atoms or...

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