Search
Menu
Vescent Photonics LLC - Lasers, Combs, Controls 4/15-5/15 LB
photon Dictionary Terms

Fresnel rhomb
A type of quarter-wave retarder in the form of a glass rhomb; light entering the retarder undergoes two total internal...
avalanche photodiode
A device that utilizes avalanche multiplication of photocurrent by means of hole-electrons created by absorbed photons. When...
computer-generated hologram
A computer-generated hologram (CGH) is a holographic image produced using computational methods and algorithms, rather than...
electro-optic modulator
An electro-optic modulator (EOM) is a device used to modulate the amplitude, phase, or polarization of light waves using an...
spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is a technique used in the study of interactions between matter and electromagnetic radiation. It involves...
CCD image sensor
A CCD image sensor, or charge-coupled device image sensor, is a type of electronic device used to convert optical images...
infrared detector
An infrared detector is a device that is used to detect and measure infrared radiation, which lies beyond the visible...
periscope
An optical instrument designed to displace the line of sight in a vertical direction. For submarines and other military uses...
electroluminescence
The nonthermal conversion of electrical energy into light in a liquid or solid substance. The photon emission resulting from...
frame rate
Frame rate refers to the frequency at which consecutive images, or frames, are displayed in a video sequence. It is...
masks for evaporation/deposition
In the context of thin film deposition processes such as evaporation or sputtering, masks are used to selectively deposit...
cylindrical lens
A cylindrical lens is an optical component that has different curvatures along its two orthogonal axes, resulting in a shape...
optical table
An optical table, also known as an optical bench or an optical breadboard, is a specialized platform used in optics...
two-photon excited fluorescence
Two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) is a nonlinear optical method that allows imaging of biological cells and living...
epitaxial equipment
Epitaxial equipment refers to a set of specialized tools and systems used in the process of epitaxy, which is the growth of...
Foucault knife-edge test
The Foucault test is performed by moving a knife edge laterally into the image of a small point source. The eye, or a...
photon coupling
The coupling of two circuits by the use of a light pipe through which photons are transmitted.
radiometer
A device used to measure the intensity of radiant energy.
sonde
A ruggedized scintillation counter used in oil well logging. The cylindrical housing contains a gamma ray source, a...
nonlinear optical materials
Nonlinear optical materials are substances that exhibit optical properties that are not linearly proportional to the...
diode laser
A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light....
monomer
A molecule that has the ability to chemically combine with other molecules to form a polymer, hence being capable of being...
custom optic
A custom optic refers to an optical component that is designed, manufactured, and tailored to meet specific requirements or...
bandwidth
The range of frequencies over which a particular instrument is designed to function within specified limits. See also fiber...
Haidinger fringes
Also known as constant angle or constant deviation fringes. The interference fringes observed with dense flat plates near...
thyratron
An arc discharge tube having a grid that is used to start the discharge through an atmosphere of inert gas or vapor at low...
free-carrier photoconductivity
Photoconductivity that may be extended as far as the microwave region because of the absorption of photons by electrons.
serpentine bend mode filter
A device used in measuring attenuation in optical fiber. The loss caused by the bends in a short reference length of fiber...
coma
A lens aberration, resulting from different magnifications in the various lens zones, that occurs in that part of the image...
stereolithography
A method of creating real three-dimensional models by using lasers driven by CAD software. In contrast to the normal...
bimorph
A type of piezoelectric translator that uses two thin strips of piezoelectric material, one expanding while the other...
halogen lamp
A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen, quartz-halogen, or quartz iodine lamp, is an incandescent lamp that uses a...
swept-source laser
A swept-source laser, also known as a wavelength-swept laser, is a type of laser that rapidly and continuously changes its...
CMOS image sensor
A CMOS image sensor, short for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor, is a type of semiconductor device used...
back focal length
The distance from the final optic within a system to the rear image point of the system. See focal length.
Raman absorption
The absorption of part of the photon energy by a molecule through which there is a slight energy change and the energy...
single-photon emission computed tomography
A medical imaging method in which gamma camera heads rotate about the patient to detect radionuclides, enabling physicians...
nuclear magnetic resonance
A phenomenon, exploited for medical imaging, in which the nuclei of material placed in a strong magnetic field will absorb...
Twyman-Green interferometer
A testing device that provides a contour map of the emergent wavefront for the observer in terms of the given wavelength of...
free-space optical interconnect
A type of internal photonic connection in an integrated circuit in which a holographic grating is used to focus light at...
stereoscope
A small instrument containing a picture support and a pair of magnifying lenses so arranged that the left eye sees only the...
APD detector
An APD detector, or avalanche photodiode detector, is a type of photodetector used to detect light or optical signals by...
time-to-amplitude converter
A time-to-amplitude converter (TAC) is an electronic circuit that converts a time interval between two events into an...
transverse mode
In the context of optics and lasers, a transverse mode refers to a specific spatial pattern of the electric field within the...
diamond turning
Diamond turning, also known as diamond machining or diamond cutting, is a precision machining process used to produce...
light-emitting diode
An LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
dichroism
Dichroism refers to the property of certain materials to exhibit different colors or absorbance of light depending on the...
Verdet constant
A factor of an equation of the Faraday effect, which is the rotation of the plane of light polarization by transparent...
light filament
Phenomenon caused by an ultrashort and ultra-intense light pulse propagating in a Kerr medium, such as air or water. When...
microring resonator
A microring resonator is a compact optical device that utilizes the resonant behavior of light within a small ring-shaped...
Galilean telescope
A refracting telescope that yields an erect image by the use of a positive lens for its objective and a negative lens for...
data bus
A system incorporated into fiber optic data communications characterized by several spatially distributed terminals that are...
laser active elements
Laser active elements typically refers to the substances or materials within a laser system that play a critical role in the...
image photocounting distribution
Photon flow created by imaging of light into a detector array; IPD is the electrical signal used by the image processor in a...
binocular microscope
A microscope designed with two eyepieces (oculars), permitting the use of both eyes when viewing through the instrument.
light dispersion
The process whereby white light is separated into its component wavelengths. Light beams of different wavelengths are...
whispering gallery mode
Whispering gallery mode (WGM) refers to a phenomenon in wave physics, particularly in optics, where waves, such as light or...
optical correlator
A device incorporating a spatial light modulator and a reference filter; used for matching an input optical waveform or...
mode filter
A device used in measuring the attenuation of multimode optical fibers. A short reference length of fiber when combined with...
photonic cavity
A photonic cavity, also known as an optical cavity, is a structure that confines electromagnetic radiation within a certain...
binocular
Designating any instrument in which both eyes can be used to view the image to achieve a stereoscopic effect, or merely to...
Mach-Zehnder interferometer
A Mach-Zehnder interferometer is an optical device used to measure the phase difference between two collimated beams of...
photomultiplier tube
A photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a highly sensitive vacuum tube that detects and amplifies low levels of light. It is widely...
Petzval lens
A high-speed, narrow-field lens consisting of two achromats spaced about the aperture stop. Its uses include portrait...
contrast
The apparent difference in brightness between light and dark areas of an image. For a light target against a dark...
CCD camera
A CCD camera, or charge-coupled device camera, is a type of digital camera that utilizes a CCD image sensor to capture and...
resonance radiation
That radiation emitted by an atom or molecule that has the same frequency as that of an incident particle; e.g., a photon....
triclinic
With respect to a crystal, having three unequal axes intersecting at angles, only two of which can be equal and only one of...
surface reflection
Also known as Fresnel reflection. That portion of the incident radiation that is reflected from the surface of a refractive...
phonon
A phonon is a quantum of vibrational energy associated with the periodic motion of atoms or molecules in a crystalline...
head-up display
An optical system that superimposes a synthetic display providing navigational or weapon-aiming information on a pilot's or...
nanophotonics
Nanophotonics is a branch of science and technology that explores the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, typically at...
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...
wide-angle lens
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...
population inversion
The condition in which there are more atomic systems in the upper of two energy levels than in the lower, so stimulated...
iris diaphragm
A mechanical device designed to smoothly vary the effective diameter of a lens, thereby controlling the amount of light...
two-photon fluorescence
This results from the simultaneous absorption of two photons, each having half the energy needed for excitation and...
laser cavity
A laser cavity, also known as an optical cavity or resonator, is a fundamental component of a laser system. It is a confined...
direct radiative transition
An energy transition concerned with photons alone.
diffraction grating
A diffraction grating is an optical component consisting of a surface with a periodic structure of equally spaced, parallel...
autocollimator
An autocollimator is an optical instrument used for measuring small angular deviations with high precision. It operates on...
Raman effect
When light is transmitted through matter, part of the light is scattered in random directions. A small part of the scattered...
laser
A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...
critical angle
The least angle of incidence at which total internal reflection takes place. The angle of incidence in a denser medium, at...
chemical vapor deposition
Chemical vapor deposition is a process of applying dopants to a glass bait by flame reactions of gaseous compounds. See also...
photosynthetically active radiation
Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is the 400- to 700-nm region (visible light) of the electromagnetic spectrum that...
Bohr's frequency relation
The law given by the formula: that is, the frequency of radiation emitted or absorbed by a system when E2 and E1...
Pechan prism
A prism made up of two air-spaced components. It has the ability to revert, and not invert, an image, and can be used in...
Snell's law of refraction
The incident ray, the normal to the refracting surface at the point of incidence of the ray at the surface, and the...
charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a type of electronic image sensor used in various imaging devices, including digital...
laser surgery
Laser surgery refers to a medical procedure in which a laser, or focused beam of light, is used as a precision tool to cut,...
Billet's split lens
An experimental lens used to produce interference fringes. A positive lens is cut into halves along its center, and the...
gain
Also known as amplification. 1. The increase in a signal that is transmitted from one point to another through an amplifier....
radiation pyrometer
Also known as radiation thermometer. A pyrometer in which the radiant intensity from the source to be measured is used to...
ion laser
A laser in which the transition involved in stimulated emission of radiation takes place between two levels of an ionized...
photonegative
The property exhibited by a substance having electrical conductivity that decreases as the intensity of the incident visible...
refractive index contrast
A measure of the relative difference in refractive index between two optical materials. Most commonly used in fiber optics...
birefringence
Birefringence is an optical property of certain materials that causes them to exhibit different refractive indices for light...
Abbe prism
A form of roof prism used to invert an image. The prism has faces cut normal to the optical axis; therefore, the prism may...
electron-beam lithography system
An electron-beam lithography (EBL) system is a sophisticated nanofabrication tool used in the semiconductor industry and...
two-photon polymerization
Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is a technique used in additive manufacturing, specifically in the field of 3D printing. It...
Munsell notation
Alphanumerical description of color according to Munsell hue, value and chroma.
fiber optic gyroscope
A fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) is a type of gyroscope that uses the interference of light waves to detect changes in...
femtosecond laser
A femtosecond laser is a type of laser that emits ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of femtoseconds,...
blackbody source
A blackbody source, often simply referred to as a blackbody, is a theoretical or practical physical object that absorbs all...
plasmon ion-assisted deposition
Plasmon ion-assisted deposition (PIAD) is a technique used in thin-film deposition processes, particularly in the production...
smectic phase
A form of liquid crystal in which flow does not take place in the usual manner. When examined with polarized light, the...
electron multiplication charge-coupled device camera
An EMCCD (electron-multiplying charge-coupled device) camera is a type of scientific camera specifically designed for...
infrared lens
An infrared lens is an optical component specifically designed and optimized for transmitting, focusing, or manipulating...
silicon photodiode
A silicon photodiode is a semiconductor device that converts light into an electrical current. It is a type of photodetector...
fluence
Fluence is a term used in various scientific and technical disciplines to describe the amount of something per unit area....
quantum
The term quantum refers to the fundamental unit or discrete amount of a physical quantity involved in interactions at the...
collimator
An optical instrument consisting of a well- corrected objective lens or mirror with a light source and or object/image (i.e....
Fresnel mirrors
Two plane mirrors that are not wholly located in the same plane. When light from a point source or slit reflects from the...
loose-tube buffering
In fiber optic cable, containment of the fiber or fibers within an outer protective tube in which they can move to some...
zoom lens
An optical system of variable focal length, the focal plane remaining in a fixed position. This result is achieved by moving...
Airy disc
The central peak (including everything interior to the first zero or dark ring) of the focal diffraction pattern of a...
pyroelectric infrared detector
Unlike the thermocouple or bolometer, the pyroelectric infrared detector is a current source with an output proportional to...
lattice
In photonics, a lattice refers to a periodic arrangement of optical elements or structures, often on a microscopic or...
Huygenian eyepiece
An ocular having two planoconvex lenses that are formed from similar glass and that are separated by a space equal to half...
Fizeau interferometer
A type of interferometer noted for producing narrow multiple-beam interference fringes. As a result, when compared with the...
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur...
superfluorescence
The process in which the normal rate of fluorescent emission from a substance is enhanced by virtue of the optical gain of...
iris
The adjustable membrane located just in front of the crystalline lens within the eye. The iris gives the eye its color. See...
antireflection coating
An antireflection coating (AR coating) is a thin film or coating applied to optical surfaces, such as lenses or windows, to...
lay length
In a fiber optic cable, the longitudinal length required for the transmission media, wrapped around a central member, to...
nonlinear scattering
Direct conversion of a photon from one wavelength to a lower energy photon of another wavelength(s) due to inelastic...
digital camera
A digital camera is a device that captures and records still images or video in digital format. Unlike traditional film...
photon sieve
A photon sieve is an optical device used in the field of optics and imaging. It's designed to focus and shape light,...
cathode radiant sensitivity
Cathode radiant sensitivity refers to the ability of a photocathode to convert incident radiant energy, typically in the...
resolution target
A chart on paper or glass containing a series of sets of lines at progressively smaller spacing and used to ascertain the...
oscilloscope
A system in which a supplied signal causes the deflection of the electron beam in a cathode-ray tube, thus forming a visible...
electron-gun system
An electron-gun system is an assembly used to generate and control a focused beam of electrons. Electron guns find...
atomic scattering factor
The efficiency of scattering by an atom in a particular direction, expressed as: where AA is the amplitude of the wave from...
nanotube
A nanotube, also known as a nanotubule or simply a tube-like structure, is a nanoscale cylindrical structure composed of...
maser
An acronym for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Predecessor to the laser, the maser or...
mid-infrared camera
A mid-infrared camera is a type of imaging device designed to capture images in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range,...
holographic camera
A holographic camera, also known as a holographic imaging system or holographic recorder, is a specialized device used to...
near-field scanning optical microscope
A scanning probe microscope that analyzes the surface of a specimen by recording the intensity of light as it is focused...
Brillouin scattering
Brillouin scattering is a phenomenon in physics where an incident electromagnetic wave (usually light) interacts with...
equivalent air path
When a block of glass (prism, window, filter, etc.) is placed into a converging light bundle, it increases the physical...
lateral color
Lens aberration resulting in image size variation as a function of wavelength. See also chromatic aberration.
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...
degree of coherence
A quantitative measurement of the coherence of a light source; equal to the visibility (V) of the fringes of a two-beam...
wavelength shifter
A photofluorescent compound that, when used with a scintillating substance, absorbs photons and emits related photons having...
depth of focus
The range of image distances that corresponds to the range of object distances covered by the depth of field.
telephoto lens
A compound lens so constructed that its overall length is equal to or less than its effective focal length.
integration time
Integration time, in the context of optics, imaging systems, and sensor technology, refers to the duration over which a...
Monte Carlo simulation
Simulation of radiative transfer in which each photon is generated by a source and its path through the medium is...
motion picture camera
A camera equipped with a lens and a long length of perforated film, the latter being moved intermittently between exposures...
lens blank
A lens blank is a piece of optical material in a raw, unfinished state, typically in the form of a disk or block, from which...
laser optics
Laser optics refers to a broad category of optical components and systems designed for manipulating and controlling laser...
fiber optic imaging bundle
A fiber optic imaging bundle is a specialized optical device composed of multiple optical fibers bundled together. Each...
nanopositioning
Nanopositioning refers to the precise and controlled movement or manipulation of objects or components at the nanometer...
photochemical
The term photochemical pertains to chemical processes or reactions that are initiated or influenced by the absorption of...
scanning electron microscope
An electron microscope that uses a beam of electrons -- accelerated to high energy and focused on the sample -- to scan the...
steradian
The unit solid angle subtended at the center of a sphere by an area on its surface equivalent to the square of the radius;...
achromatic prism
Cemented prisms of differing refractive indices which refract incident light and, due to differing refractive indices, will...
baseline
The smallest amount of photon energy to pass a detector window and be counted.
nanoLED
An LED (light-emitting diode) is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
quantum key distribution
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a method of secure communication that utilizes principles from quantum mechanics to...
molded lens
A molded lens is an optical lens manufactured using a molding process, typically involving the shaping of a material, such...
telecentric lens
There are three types of telecentric lenses: -Image-space telecentric lenses are those in which the aperture stop is...
optical testing instrument
An optical testing instrument is a device or system used to evaluate and measure the performance, quality, and...
chemical vapor deposition equipment
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment refers to a class of specialized apparatus used in the process of chemical vapor...
Gaussian profile
An intensity distribution (intensity as a function of radial distance from the beam center) which is given by the Gaussian...
quantum efficiency
Quantum efficiency (QE) is a measure of the effectiveness with which a device or system, typically in the context of...
Casimir force
The Casimir force is a quantum phenomenon that results in an attractive force between two closely spaced uncharged...
single-molecule FRET
Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) is a specialized technique in biophysics and molecular...
eye relief
Also termed eye distance. The distance between the vertex of the last optical surface of a visual optical system and the...
soft radiation
Term applied to radiation composed of particles or photons that will not easily penetrate a material because of their low...
hologram
An interference pattern that is recorded on a high-resolution plate, the two interfering beams formed by a coherent beam...
plasmonics
Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free...
attenuator
An electronic transducer, either fixed or adjustable, that reduces the amplitude of a wave without causing significant...
infrared spectrophotometer
A spectrophotometer having a prism or, more frequently, a grating for the study and recording of infrared spectra. It...
photon noise
curvilinear distortion
A lens aberration in which the focal length varies radially outward from the center of the field. It has the effect of...
Bragg's law
The law expressing the condition under which a crystal will reflect a beam of x-rays with the greatest amount of distinction...
luminescence
Luminescence is the emission of light that occurs without the involved substance undergoing a significant increase in...
negative dielectric anisotropy
State typically studied in liquid crystals in which the dielectric coefficient parallel to the director is less than the...
comparator
1. An eyepiece or magnifier with a scale at its image plane. That scale is placed in contact with an object, permitting...
camera
A light-tight box that receives light from an object or scene and focuses it to form an image on a light-sensitive material...
acoustical holography
The optical reconstruction of image information contained in a sound field. First the diffraction pattern, formed by an...
optical camouflage
The use of retroreflective projection technology (RPT) to project a background image onto a masked object, such as a vehicle...
third-order theory
Calculations of lens aberrations whereby the first two terms of the series expansion are the only ones employed....
scientific complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
Scientific complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (sCMOS) refers to a type of image sensor technology specifically designed...
evaporagraph
A sensor generally used for infrared imaging. It consists of two chambers separated by a thin, blackened membrane. An...
crystalline axes
The axes of symmetry in a crystal structure. See also biaxial crystal; uniaxial crystal.
neutron drip line
Prediction based on observations of nuclear masses in the valley of stability that indicates the maximum number of electrons...
Maksutov corrector
A thick meniscus lens arranged concentric with the center of curvature of a spherical mirror to produce an image free of...
fluorescence decay system
A device, also called a fluorescence lifetime instrument, that measures decay curves of fluorescing samples. It generally...
confocal resonator
A confocal resonator, also known as a confocal cavity or confocal laser resonator, is a type of optical resonator...
diode-pumped solid-state laser
A diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) is a type of laser system that uses semiconductor diode lasers to pump energy into...
laser output
The laser output refers to the generated and emitted light produced by a laser system. This output is characterized by...
hybrid circuit
Any integrated circuit that also makes use of one or more discrete components; frequently used to describe circuits that...
stimulated Brillouin scattering
In Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS), an incident photon (usually laser light) interacts with acoustic phonons in a...
inverse square law
The law stating that the illuminance (or irradiance) from a point source varies as the inverse square of the distance...
autofluorescence
Autofluorescence refers to the natural emission of fluorescence exhibited by certain biological structures or molecules when...
optical glass
Optical glass refers to a type of glass specifically engineered and manufactured for use in optical components and systems,...
connector
Hardware installed on fiber cable ends to provide cable attachment to a transmitter, receiver or other cable. Usually a...
variable-focus condenser
An Abbe condenser in which the upper lens element is fixed. The lower lens may focus the illumination between the elements...
Lloyd's mirror
A mirror employed with a very high incidence angle to form a pair of coherent light sources by reflection, and therefore...
Snellen letter
The letter form used on visual performance test charts. The overall letter height is equal to five times the thickness of...
photoconductive effect
The alteration of electric conductivity produced by the absorption of varying amounts of radiation composed of photons.
Rayleigh criterion of resolving power
When a lens system with a circular aperture is free of aberrations, the image of a point object will appear as a disc of...
ultrafast laser
An ultrafast laser is a type of laser that emits extremely short pulses of light with durations typically on the order of...
phase-contrast microscope
A microscope that has an annular stop in the lower focal plane of the condenser, and a quarter-wave retarding and absorbing...
endoscope
An endoscope is a medical device used for visualizing and examining the interior of hollow organs, body cavities, or...
panoramic camera
A camera designed to form a continuous record of an expansive section of the horizon. The typical panoramic camera is...
near-field holography
A lithography method that allows the transfer of fine-pitch gratings from a phase mask into photoresist. The exposure takes...
magnon
A magnon is a quasiparticle representing a quantized spin wave in a magnetic material. In other words, it is a collective...
Rowland circle
The circle that contains the slit, grating and primary astigmatic focus of a concave diffraction grating.
aspheric mirror
An aspheric mirror is an optical mirror surface that deviates from the shape of a perfect sphere, having a non-spherical...
optical profiler
Also known as a white-light interferometer. Measures surface texture and shape from nanometer-scale roughness to...
halation
1. In a cathode-ray tube, the glow surrounding a bright spot that appears on the fluorescent screen as the result of the...
optical cements and adhesive
Optical cements and adhesives are specialized materials used in the assembly and bonding of optical components in optical...
quantum cascade laser
A quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics....
reflection
Return of radiation by a surface, without change in wavelength. The reflection may be specular, from a smooth surface;...
astronomical mirror
An astronomical mirror, also known as a telescope mirror or primary mirror, is a key component of a reflecting telescope. It...
infrared light-emitting diode
An infrared light-emitting diode (IR LED) is a semiconductor device that emits infrared light when an electric current...
quantum entanglement
Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where two or more particles become correlated to such an extent...
Dogmar/Aviar lens
A general-purpose lens, also known as the Celor lens, used widely in photography and commercial processing; it has the form...
fiber optic preform
A fiber optic preform is a cylindrical glass rod or tube used as the starting material for manufacturing optical fibers. It...
microbubble resonator
A microbubble resonator is a device used in photonics and optical physics for the precise manipulation of light waves. It...
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The...
diffraction
As a wavefront of light passes by an opaque edge or through an opening, secondary weaker wavefronts are generated,...
principal plane
In a lens or lens system, that surface at which the projections of an entering and exiting ray intersect. Also known as the...
spectrograph
An optical instrument for forming the spectrum of a light source and recording it on a film. The dispersing medium may be a...
eye
The organ of vision or light sensitivity.
mesopic vision
Vision at intermediate levels of luminance between photopic and scotopic vision, where both retinal cones and retinal rods...
qubit
A qubit, short for quantum bit, is the fundamental unit of information in quantum computing and quantum information...
absorption peak
An absorption peak refers to a sharp increase or spike in the absorption of electromagnetic radiation at a particular...
nominal ocular hazard distance
The calculated normal distance from a photon source at which harmful interaction with the incident light will occur....
near-infrared spectrometer
A near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer is an analytical instrument used to measure the absorption, transmission, or reflection...
Ritchey-Common test
An interferometric method for describing the surface shape of large coated or uncoated optical flats. The procedure uses a...
powder camera
A camera system that uses a fine powder to diffract x-rays from the specimen. A beam of monochromatic x-rays passes through...
diffractive optics
Optical elements that use diffraction to control wavefronts. Diffractive optical elements include diffraction gratings,...
Senarmont prism
A polarizing beamsplitting prism similar in design to the Rochon prism. However, the Senarmont transmits the extraordinary...
Rayleigh range
In the region of a Gaussian beam focus by a diffraction-limited lens, it is the axial distance from the point of minimum...
free-space optics
Free-space optics (FSO), also known as optical wireless communication or optical wireless networking, refers to the...
stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy
Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) is a superresolution microscopy technique that enables imaging of...
internal photoelectric effect
The creation of free electrons within a solid by the absorption of a sufficient amount of photons. The effect produces an...
jig transit
An optical instrument containing a gimballed sighting telescope, used to measure angular relationships in horizontal and...
Paschen series
An array of lines in the infrared region of the emission spectrum of atomic hydrogen. Their wave numbers are expressed by...
surface-emitting laser diode
A semiconductor laser diode that emits light perpendicular to the active region. The output radiation is taken through the...
optical tweezers
Optical tweezers refer to a scientific instrument that uses the pressure of laser light to trap and manipulate microscopic...
total internal reflection fluorescence
Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy is an advanced fluorescence microscopy technique that leverages the...
slide projector
An optical projection device designed to project positive color transparencies onto a screen for viewing.
integrated photonics
Integrated photonics is a field of study and technology that involves the integration of optical components, such as lasers,...
aerial survey
The creation of a planned sequence of data input that is obtained while airborne for use in aerial photogrammetry and other...
eye test apparatus
Instruments used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to study the eye. There are, for instance, the ophthalmoscope to...
fused quartz and silica
Fused quartz and silica are closely related materials, both composed primarily of silicon dioxide (SiO2), but they are...
double refraction
The separation of unpolarized light into two plane-polarized elements by a doubly refracting crystal. When a crystal, such...
modified chemical vapor deposition
Modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) is a technique used in the fabrication of optical fibers. It is a specialized form...
near-infrared camera
A near-infrared (NIR) camera is an imaging device designed to capture images in the near-infrared region of the...
resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance, which is a phenomenon that occurs when an external force or...
Ultraviolet-C
Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) refers to a specific range of ultraviolet radiation with shorter wavelengths than those of visible...
electric-discharge lamp
A lamp that uses the transmission of an electric current through a gas or vapor to produce illumination. Neon, mercury and...
paraboloidal mirror
A concave mirror that has the form of a paraboloid of revolution. The paraboloidal mirror may have only a portion of a...
luminescent greenhouse collector
A collector for photovoltaic power generation that consists of a thin plate that strongly absorbs sunlight striking its...
fan
A set of rays through a lens originating at a common point and contained in one plane.
responsive quantum efficiency
The number of electrons emitted per photon incident upon a photodetector.
multianode microchannel array detector
A photon-counting instrument for use in both space-borne and ground-based photometric and spectroscopic instrumentation....
neodymium:YAG
Literally, neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet. A cylindrical rod of yttrium-aluminum-garnet doped with neodymium that is the...
brightness resolution
The degree to which a pixel in a digital image represents the analog brightness of the corresponding point in the original...
infrared optic
Infrared optics refer to optical components and systems designed to manipulate and control infrared (IR) light, which lies...
reticle
An optical element located at an image plane, containing a pattern that assists in pointing an instrument or measuring...
polarization-preserving fiber
Single-mode fiber that preserves the plane of polarization of the light launched into it as the beam propagates through its...
minimum angle of deviation
The smallest angle through which light is bent by an optical element or system. In a prism, the angle of deviation is a...
light
Electromagnetic radiation detectable by the eye, ranging in wavelength from about 400 to 750 nm. In photonic applications...
optical pyrometer
An instrument for determining the temperature of a hot object by examining the color spectrum of the visible light it gives...
optical parametric oscillator
A laser-pumped crystal with nonlinear optical properties inside of an optical resonator in which the output generates...
InGaAs photodiode
An InGaAs photodiode refers to a photodetector device that is constructed using a semiconductor material composed of a...
time-correlated single photon counting
Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) is a technique used in photon counting applications, particularly in the...
optical design and engineering services
Optical design and engineering services involve the development, customization, and optimization of optical systems and...
photoelectric effect
The emission of an electron from a surface that occurs when a photon impinges upon the surface and is absorbed. This effect...
custom lapping and polishing services
Custom lapping and polishing services involve specialized processes used to improve the surface finish and dimensional...
spectrometer
A kind of spectrograph in which some form of detector, other than a photographic film, is used to measure the distribution...
beamsplitter
A beamsplitter is an optical device for dividing a beam into two or more separate beams. A simple beamsplitter may be a very...
liquid crystal light valve
A liquid crystal light valve (LCLV), also known as a spatial light modulator (SLM), is an optical device that modulates the...
raster
The pattern of lines traced by rectilinear scanning in display systems.
diverging lens
A diverging lens is a type of lens that causes parallel rays of light to spread out or diverge. It is thinner in the center...
penta prism
A five-sided prism containing two reflecting surfaces at 45° to each other, and two refracting faces perpendicular to...
machine vision lens
A machine vision lens is a specialized optical lens designed for use in machine vision systems, which are used for automated...
mirror blank
A mirror blank refers to the initial piece of material from which a mirror is made. It is typically a flat or slightly...
cold shield
That part of an infrared detector-Dewar assembly that limits the solid angle viewed by the sensor; it is maintained at a...
linear image sensor
A linear image sensor is a type of solid-state electronic device used to capture and convert light into electrical signals....
cold mirror
A mirror whose coating serves to reflect visible radiation while transmitting the infrared.
optical time-domain reflectometry
A method for characterizing a fiber wherein an optical pulse is transmitted through the fiber, and the resulting light...
magneto-optical photonic crystal
A photonic crystal that comprises magneto-optical material such that the optical response of the device depends on the...
metasurfaces
Metasurfaces are two-dimensional arrays of subwavelength-scale artificial structures, often referred to as meta-atoms or...
isotopically selected laser spectroscopy
A spectroscopic technique in which an excitation band absorbs laser energy resulting in an electronic transition. The...
photon
A quantum of electromagnetic energy of a single mode; i.e., a single wavelength, direction and polarization. As a unit of...
transport theory approximations
Multiple scattering method used in biological analysis in which approximations yield simple, explicit solutions, at least...
fiber optic transceiver
A fiber optic transceiver, often simply referred to as an "optical transceiver," is a device used in fiber optic...
keystone distortion
A type of geometrical distortion that brings about a trapezoidal display of a nominally rectangular picture. Usually...
spherical aberration
Spherical aberration is an optical aberration that occurs when light rays passing through a lens or curved optical surface...
thermograph
The instrument used to collect thermal radiation information on an object by scanning. It consists basically of a detector,...
laser photochemistry
The study concerned with the stimulation of chemical activity by laser light as a result of the absorption of photons by a...
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...
soliton
Any isolated wave that propagates without dispersion of energy. Specifically to photonics, an ultrashort pulse of laser...
single-photon avalanche diode
A single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) is a specialized type of photodetector designed to detect extremely weak optical...
optical modulator
A multilayered thin-film device used to modulate transmitted light in integrated photonic circuits.
photoelectric exposure meter
A device consisting of a microammeter, a photovoltaic cell and a battery. It is used for the measurement of scene brightness...
Young's two-slit interference
The method by which Thomas Young in 1802 disproved Newton's corpuscular theory of light by the formation of interference...
Josephson effect
Characteristic of radiation detectors that produce energy that is similar to the energy of superconductive gaps when...
optical axis
The imaginary line passing through both the centers of curvatures of the optical surfaces of a lens or mirror; the optical...
secondary color
An aberration that remains after primary color is corrected. Primary color causes the back focus of a lens to vary with...
duplet lens system
An optical system having two sets of components separated by an air space, while successive lenses in each set are cemented...
rare earth dopants
Rare earth dopants refer to elements from the lanthanide series, also known as rare earth elements, that are intentionally...
lock-in amplifier
A lock-in amplifier is a specialized electronic instrument used to extract and measure small signals embedded in noise or...
optical interconnection
The use of photonic devices rather than electronic devices to make connections within and between integrated circuits.
thermophotovoltaic
Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) refers to a technology that converts heat energy into electricity using the principles of...
off-axis paraboloid and ellipsoid mirror
Off-axis paraboloid and ellipsoid mirrors are specialized optical components used in various optical systems, particularly...
astronomical telescope
An astronomical telescope is a type of optical instrument designed to gather and magnify light from distant celestial...
polariton
A polariton is a quasiparticle resulting from the strong coupling between photons (light particles) and certain types of...
solar furnace
An optical system that is designed to produce a high temperature in a specified area by the optical direction and...
nematic phase
A form of liquid crystal with an appearance of moving, threadlike structures, particularly visible when observed in thick...
Luneburg lens
A dielectric sphere with an index of refraction that varies with distance from the sphere center. A parallel beam of rays is...
grating monochromator
An optical instrument used to isolate a narrow bandwidth of optical radiation using a diffraction grating as the dispersive...
intrinsic photoconductivity
The absorption of a photon raising an electron across the forbidden gap from valence to conduction band of the semiconductor...
molecular motor
A molecular motor refers to a nano-sized device composed of organic molecules or other small-scale components that can...
second-harmonic generation
Second-harmonic generation (SHG) is a nonlinear optical process that occurs when two photons with the same frequency combine...
microphotonics
The technology of manipulating light on a micro scale. In optical communications, this is usually accomplished using two or...
PIN photodiode
A PIN photodiode is a type of photodetector or semiconductor device used to convert light signals into electrical signals....
vertical external cavity surface-emitting laser
A laser that has a surface-emitting semiconductor gain element coupled to an external mirror designed to complete the laser...
polygon mirror
A rotating component with a series of flat reflective surfaces around the perimeter that is used in scanning systems to...
Förster resonance energy transfer
Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a mechanism describing the transfer of energy between two closely spaced...
acceptance angle
The range of angle or solid angle values by which light may enter an optical system.
Cornu double prism
A compound prism formed by cementing together two 30° prisms, one of right-handed and one of left-handed quartz. It has...
prism binoculars
A pair of telescopes with prismatically erected images, mounted side by side with the eyepieces at the interocular distance...
photon correlation spectroscopy
Spectroscopy used to study the concentration, diffusion and Brownian motion of small particles suspended in a fluid by...
automatic optical inspection
A system for automatic industrial process control or measurement, consisting of an optical module for image acquisition, a...
photonic crystal surface-emitting laser
PCSEL stands for "photonic crystal surface-emitting laser." It refers to a type of laser diode that emits light from its...
GRIN lens
A GRIN (gradient index) lens is a type of optical lens that utilizes a gradient in refractive index across its volume rather...
vidicon
A small television tube originally developed for closed-circuit television. It is about 1 inch in diameter and 5 inches...
photoconductive film
A film of material that exhibits varying conductivity based upon its absorption of varying amounts of photon radiation.
optical design software
Optical design software refers to specialized computer programs used by optical engineers, physicists, and designers to...
integrating sphere
A hollow sphere coated internally with a white diffusing material and provided with openings for incident beam, specimen and...
Lissajous pattern
The pattern, formed by a character generation cathode-ray tube system, in which the characters are made up of wave shapes...
disc colorimeter
A colorimeter using a spinning disc made of different colored sections for colorimetric analysis.
optical gate
An optical gate typically refers to a device or system that controls the transmission of light, allowing it to pass through...
photonic integrated circuit
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a compact and integrated device that incorporates multiple photonic components and...
double-Gauss lens
A fast, wide-angle lens used in television and photographic cameras, with excellent overall correction, but subject to...
CMOS camera
A CMOS camera refers to an imaging device that employs a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor to...
Weissenberg method
The Weissenberg method, named after the German physicist Karl Weissenberg, is a technique used in x-ray crystallography for...
prism power
The power, expressed in prism diopters, that is the linear displacement, in centimeters, produced by the prism one meter...
holography
Holography is a technique used to capture and reconstruct three-dimensional images using the principles of interference and...
phase conjugation
The use of a reflective device, which can be fashioned from a variety of materials including gases, solids, dyes, aerosols,...
second-harmonic generation microscopy
A nonlinear label-free imaging technique commonly used during surgical procedures for the visualization of collagen fibers...
fluorescence photography
The photographic recording of a subject that exhibits luminescence only for an extremely short time (10-8 s) after the...
fluorophore
A fluorophore is a molecule or a portion of a molecule that has the ability to emit light upon excitation by an external...
photovoltaic cell
A photovoltaic cell, commonly known as a solar cell, is a semiconductor device that directly converts light energy into...
solar cell
A device for converting sunlight into electrical energy, consisting of a sandwich of P-type and N-type semiconducting...
active element
Component that is externally controlled via electronic or photon signal.
achromatic lens
A lens consisting of two or more elements, usually of crown and flint glass, that has been corrected for chromatic...
photoelectric sensitivity
That property of a material that determines its ability to release electrons when absorbing photons.
second-order nonlinear optical properties
Second-order nonlinear optical properties refer to a class of phenomena exhibited by certain materials in response to...
barrel distortion
The negative distortion that causes a square grid pattern to be imaged as barrel-shaped.
relay condenser
A form of lens assembly used in a projection system to maximize efficiency and assure uniform illumination of the object...
laser crystal
A laser crystal, also known as an active medium or gain medium, is a solid-state material used in the construction of...
Wadsworth mounting
A system used for gratings that consists of a concave mirror, a grating and a plate holder mounted normal to the grating to...
ring-laser gyroscope
A solid block of glass-ceramic material with holes drilled the length of all four sides, and mirrors attached to the corners...
Fabry-Perot interferometer
A multiple-beam interferometer, usually consisting of two flat plates, with high reflective ability. The plates are set...
phase matching
Phase matching is a crucial concept in the field of optics, particularly in nonlinear optics and the generation of coherent...
high-speed movie camera
A camera designed to record at rates exceeding 50 fps. For frame rates up to about 500 fps, an ordinary pull-down mechanism...
optoelectronic integrated circuit
A monolithic device containing both photonic and electronic sources, detectors, modulators, etc., on a single semiconductor...
double-crucible method
A method of fabricating an optical waveguide by melting the core and clad glasses in two suitably joined concentric...
near-field scanning
A measurement technique used to determine the spatial distribution profile of an electrical or optical quantity of interest...
focal length
The focal length of a lens is the distance between the lens's optical center (or principal point) and the image sensor or...
fiber optic cable assembly
A fiber optic cable assembly refers to a complete unit consisting of optical fibers, connectors, protective jackets, and...
photon counter
A device used to evaluate the luminance of a surface by determining the number of photons emitted from a sample surface area.
hyperspectral imaging camera
A hyperspectral imaging camera is a sophisticated imaging device capable of capturing and processing data across a wide...
insertion loss
The total optical power loss caused by the insertion of an optical component such as a connector, splice or coupler into a...
image intensifier
An image intensifier, also known as an image intensification tube or image intensification device, is a specialized...
Malus's law
A law that uses the square of the cosine between the plane of polarization of a beam of plane-polarized light and the plane...
binary optics
Optical elements, often created by micromachining, lithography or vacuum deposition, that rely on diffraction of the...
curvature of field
A lens aberration that causes a flat object surface to be imaged onto a curved surface rather than a plane.
vertical-cavity laser diode
A type of surface-emitting laser diode that uses dielectric mirrors to produce surface emission. The laser cavity is...
uniformly redundant array
Array used in coded-aperture imaging experiments with two-beam CO2 lasers that provide an artifact-free process, faithful...
optical fiber
Optical fiber is a thin, flexible, transparent strand or filament made of glass or plastic used for transmitting light...
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...
ultraviolet reflectance
Ultraviolet reflectance refers to the ability of a material or surface to reflect UV light. Ultraviolet light is...
photon drag detector
An infrared detector in which radiation passes through a doped germanium crystal, creating a voltage drop that can be...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
optical distance
The physical length of the light path in a substance divided by the refractive index of that substance. See also equivalent...
Brewster's angle
For light incident on a plane boundary between two regions having different refractive indices, the angle of incidence at...
spectroheliograph
An instrument in which an image of the sun is scanned by the entrance slit of a monochromator, the exit slit simultaneously...
Winston cone
Specified curved optic intended for maximum collection of light, including off-axis rays, before leaving the exit aperture.
galvanometric scanner
A galvanometric scanner, also known as a galvanometer scanner or galvo scanner, is a type of optical scanning device used to...
distortion
A general term referring to the situation in which an image is not a true-to-scale reproduction of an object. The term also...
magnetic resonance imaging
An imaging technique used in radiology that is based on the principles of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to produce...
Gregorian telescope
A telescope with an ellipsoidal secondary concave mirror that reflects rays from a parabolic primary mirror through an...
superelastic collision
Observed phenomenon in laser pulses in which a large number of excited electrons are created and in which multiphoton...
optical materials
Optical materials refer to substances or compounds specifically chosen for their optical properties and used in the...
slab laser
Solid-state laser geometry in which the standard rod is replaced by a slab of laser material. Often called...
aperture stop
A physical constraint, often a lens retainer, that limits the diameter of the axial light bundle allowed to pass through a...
x-ray diffraction
The bending of x-rays by the regular layers of molecules in a crystal acting like a very small diffraction grating. The...
fluorescent screen
A fluorescent screen refers to a phosphorescent or fluorescent-coated surface that emits visible light when exposed to other...
x-ray image spectrography
Irradiation of a cylindrical crystal with an x-ray beam resulting in Bragg diffraction that produces a slightly enlarged...
Schmidt camera
A camera that consists of a concave spherical mirror with an aspheric plate situated at the center of curvature of the...
colorimeter
A colorimeter is a device used to measure and quantify the color characteristics of an object or a light source. It provides...
biophotonics
The technology that deals with the interaction of organic materials with light and other forms of radiant energy whose...
Cooke triplet lens
The simplest lens in which all primary aberrations may be corrected. It consists of two positive crown elements on either...
fluorescence lifetime
Fluorescence lifetime refers to the average time it takes for a fluorophore, a molecule that absorbs light at one wavelength...
meniscus lens
A lens that has one convex surface and the other concave.
mode beating
In optics, "mode beating" refers to an interference phenomenon that can occur in laser systems with multiple longitudinal...
Littrow prism
A 30-60-90° spectrograph prism that is coated on the surface opposite the 60° angle with a reflecting film.
grating spectroscope
A spectroscope having a diffraction grating for the resolution of light of various wavelengths.
Petzval surface
A paraboloidal surface on which the image is located when there is no astigmatism.
epitaxial
Epitaxial refers to the growth of a crystalline layer on a crystalline substrate in such a way that the orientation of the...
optical density
A measure of the transmittance through an optical medium. Optical density equals the log to the base 10 of the reciprocal of...
additive color process
A process of color photography in which colors are added one to another in the form of light, rather than as colorants, to...
caustic
A surface that envelops a bundle of rays or bundle of normals to the wave surface. It may be observed as a hollow, luminous...
microcomb
A microcomb, short for microresonator frequency comb, is a novel photonic device that generates a precise series of evenly...
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...
MSM photodiode
A metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodiode is a type of photodetector that consists of metal electrodes on a semiconductor...
quantum detector
A photodetector in which an electrical charge is produced when incident photons change electrons within the detecting...
triplet
A lens assembly made up of three lens elements that may or may not be cemented.
random access multiphoton microscopy
Also known as RAMP microscopy, random access multiphoton microscopy is a microscopic technique that uses multiple...
nanoparticle photonic resonator absorption microscopy
Nanoparticle photonic resonator absorption microscopy is a microscopy technique that combines the principles of photonic...
concave and convex spherical mirror
Concave and convex spherical mirrors are types of curved mirrors that have surfaces shaped like segments of spheres. These...
brightfield
Brightfield refers to a type of microscopy and imaging technique in which the specimen is illuminated with a white light...
nano
An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other...
Nd:YAG laser
Nd:YAG laser refers to a solid-state laser that utilizes neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:Y3Al5O12) as the gain...
Newtonian telescope
A telescope with a concave paraboloidal objective mirror and a small plane (diagonal) mirror that reflects rays from the...
multileg lightguide
A fiber optic bundle split along its length with the ends of the fibers extending separately to illuminate different points...
Compton scattering
The phenomenon observed by A.H. Compton in 1923 -- that some scattered radiation possesses a longer wavelength and...
biocular
A term pertaining to devices (generally optical) designed for use with both eyes viewing through a single exit pupil. The...
gain-switching
Gain-switching is a technique used in lasers to generate short pulses of light by modulating the gain of the laser medium....
tangential distortion
Optical aberration such that image magnification varies with ray distance from the optical axis in a radial distortion.
critical illumination
Illumination in which the light source is imaged at the object.
grating beamsplitter
A grating beamsplitter is an optical device that utilizes the principles of diffraction to split a beam of light into...
axis
A straight line, real or imaginary, passing through a body and indicating its center; a line so positioned that various...
optical manufacturing tools and machinery
Optical manufacturing tools and machinery encompass a wide range of equipment, instruments, and systems used in the...
Raman spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy is a technique used in analytical chemistry and physics to study vibrational, rotational, and other...
degrees of freedom
The number of unique ways in which a part can move in an alignment system. In static alignment, there are six: one in the...
hill cloud lens
A fish-eye lens designed to photograph cloud formations over the entire visible sky.
high-speed motion camera
A high-speed motion camera, also known as a high-speed camera or slow-motion camera, is a specialized imaging device...
azimuthal polarization
Azimuthal polarization refers to a specific polarization state of light where the electric field vector of the...
epoxy
Common name for a variety of adhesives used for lens bonding, fiber optic splicing and other photonics applications. The...
sag
1. In the geometric sense, an abbreviation for the term "sagitta,'' the height of a curve measured from the chord. ...
retrofocus lens
Also known as reversed telephoto lens. A lens consisting of an ordinary objective with a negative component near its front...
Pockels cell
A device containing an electro-optic crystal and using the Pockels effect. A voltage applied across the crystal generates...
indirect radiative transition
An energy transition concerned with the combination of a photon and a phonon.
color perception test equipment
Equipment for testing an observer's color vision. Some tests require the identification or ordering of colored samples. The...
penumbra
A source of light will not cast a distinct shadow of an interfering, opaque object, but will cast a shadow having two parts:...
advanced photon source
An accelerator at the Argonne National Laboratory, providing powerful x-ray beams for materials research applications.
light diffusion
Light diffusion refers to the process by which light is scattered or spread out in various directions as it interacts with a...
photon drag effect
The induction of an electric field in a semiconductor by an incident laser beam. The technique has rapid response time at...
CID camera
CID, or charge injection device, camera refers to a type of imaging device that utilizes a specific kind of solid-state...
chroma
1. Attribute of a visual sensation that permits a judgment to be made of the amount of pure chromatic color present. 2. The...
cosine law of illumination
Law relating the illuminance (or irradiance) of a surface to the cosine of the angle, q, between the normal to the surface...
quantum dots
A quantum dot is a nanoscale semiconductor structure, typically composed of materials like cadmium selenide or indium...
dichroic coating
A dichroic coating, also known as a dichroic filter or dichroic mirror, is an optical coating designed to selectively...
quantum optics
The area of optics in which quantum theory is used to describe light in discrete units or "quanta" of energy known as...
modulation spectroscopy
A method of spectral analysis in which some property of the sample is varied and the corresponding change is measured. The...
elbow telescope
A refracting telescope that uses a prism to bend the line of sight 90°.
trichromacy
The basis of color vision in the human eye. Three types of cones have been identified, each having a unique spectral...
etalon
An etalon is an optical device that consists of two parallel reflecting surfaces separated by a precise and known distance....
intensified charge-coupled device camera
An intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera is an advanced imaging device that combines the capabilities of both an...
photon tunneling microscope
An instrument in which visible light beyond the critical angle from a metallurgical microscope is focused on a reference...
chief ray
The ray that passes through the center of the aperture stop in an optical system. It often is called the principal ray of an...
scanner
1. A device used to trace out an object and build up an image. One of the most common of these types is video scanning. The...
wedge
An optical element having plane-inclined surfaces. Usually the faces are inclined toward one another at very small angles....
supercontinuum
Supercontinuum refers to a broad spectrum of light that spans a wide range of wavelengths, typically from the visible to the...
optical noise
Optical noise refers to undesirable fluctuations or disturbances in an optical signal that can affect the quality or...
near-field region
The area closest to an aperture or source where the diffraction pattern differs substantially from that observed at an...
monochromator
A monochromator is an optical instrument used to isolate and select a narrow range of wavelengths from a broader spectrum of...
field emission display
An X-Y electrically addressable series of arrays with individual electron emitters bombarding a phosphor-coated transparent...
external photoelectric effect
The ejection of electrons from the surface of a solid by the absorption of a sufficient amount of photons.
Planck's (radiation) law
The formula describing the spectral radiant emittance of a perfect blackbody as a function of its temperature and the...
infrared light source
An infrared light source is a device that emits light in the infrared spectrum, which lies beyond the visible spectrum of...
assist gas
A gas, such as oxygen, that improves the speed and efficiency of a laser cutter or welder when applied to the work surface,...
photon jet
A photon jet is a narrow, highly collimated beam of light that is formed when light interacts with small dielectric...
angle of incidence
The angle formed between a ray of light striking a surface and the normal to that surface at the point of incidence.
self-phase modulation
Self-phase modulation (SPM) is a nonlinear optical phenomenon that occurs when an intense laser beam passes through a...
laser speckle
Sparkling granular pattern that is observed when an object diffusely reflects coincident laser light. Speckle appears as an...
GaAlAs laser
A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic...
single-photon-decay spectroscopy
A technique for observing the decay of light emissions from sources following their pulsed excitations, based on recording...
Wollaston prism
A polarizing prism consisting of two calcite prisms cemented such that they deviate the two emerging beams (which are...
Gauss lens
A telescope objective with excellent spherochromatic correction, consisting of a meniscus crown and a meniscus flint, both...
machine vision system
A machine vision system is an integrated combination of hardware and software components designed to capture, process, and...
cascade shower
A shower of cosmic rays whereby a high-energy electron produces one or more photons that convert into electron pairs, the...
flying spot scanner
A device used to scan, with a small, intensely bright spot, portions of a picture surface and to transform the original...
harmonic generation
Harmonic generation refers to a nonlinear optical process in which incoming photons interact with a material and produce new...
Mangin mirror
A double-surfaced catadioptric spherical mirror whose spherical first surface consists of a negative meniscus (concave) lens...
photosurface
The surface from which electrons are ejected by the incidence and absorption of photons.
normalized frequency
Also referred to as the V number in fiber optics; the normalized frequency is a dimensionless quantity, denoted by the...
intravital microscopy
Intravital microscopy is an imaging technique used to visualize biological processes within living organisms, typically in...
optical tooling target
Sets of paired lines carefully designed to give the most accurate pointing possible for various lengths of sight.
scattering angle
The angle between the initial and final paths traveled by a scattered particle or photon.
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...
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter...
laser diode module
A laser diode module is a compact device that incorporates a laser diode, optics, and often other components into a single...
topological photonics
Topological photonics is a branch of physics and optics that explores the application of topological concepts to the...
adaptive optics
Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of...
modulation transfer function analysis/measurement equipment
MTF analysis/measurement equipment refers to instruments and tools used to measure and analyze the modulation transfer...
optical assembly
An optical assembly refers to a collection of optical components that are carefully arranged and aligned to perform a...
microscope eyepiece
An eyepiece located at the near end of the microscope tube. It often is a simple Huygens eyepiece, but compensating and...
photobleaching
Photobleaching is a phenomenon in which the fluorescence of a fluorophore (a fluorescent molecule or dye) is permanently...
neutral density wedge
A strip or annulus of glass coated with a semitransparent material such as inconel. The coating thickness, and as a result...
acousto-optic modulators and deflectors
An acousto-optic modulator (AOM) is a device that utilizes the interaction between sound waves and light waves to modulate...
equatorial mount
A telescope stand equipped with a polar axis that can be set parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation and a declination axis...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
detector-Dewar assembly
A detector-Dewar assembly typically refers to a combination of a detector and a Dewar flask used in scientific instruments,...
modulation transfer function
Also called sine wave response and contrast transfer function. The modulation transfer function is the ratio of the...
stereoscopic rangefinder
A rangefinder similar to a pair of binoculars with a long base, a dot or other wander mark provided in each eyepiece field,...
blue diode laser
A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...
microchannel plate
A microchannel plate (MCP) is a specialized electron multiplier device used in various applications such as particle...
MEMS fiber optic switch
A MEMS fiber optic switch is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device designed to selectively route optical signals...
pair production
The production of a positron-electron pair by a photon having energy greater than one mega-electron-volt, whereby some of...
optical grating
An optical grating, in the context of optics and physics, refers to a device with a periodic structure of closely spaced,...
lens element
One optical element of a multielement lens. See optical element.
Barlow lens
A negative lens used to increase the effective focal length of a telescope objective.
photon burst detection of fluorescence
A type of laser spectroscopy used to measure short-lived isotopes by observing sudden bursts of fluorescence resulting from...
photonic computer
A type of computer in which the electronic circuits, which process data serially, are replaced by photonic circuits capable...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically...
atomic absorption spectrometer
An atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) is an analytical instrument used to determine the concentration of specific chemical...
camera tube
The electron beam tube of a television camera that converts an optical image into a pattern of electrostatic charges and...
landolt ring
A broken circle used as the test object in distinguishing visual acuity. The width of the gap in the circle is equal to the...
color center
A color center, in the context of materials science and condensed matter physics, refers to a specific type of...
helium-neon laser
A helium-neon (HeNe) laser is a type of gas laser that emits visible red light at a wavelength of 632.8 nm. It operates...
nodal points
Of all the rays passing through a lens from an off-axis object point to its corresponding image point, there is always one...
three-level laser
A laser having a material, such as ruby, that has an energy state structure of three levels: the ground state (1) wherein...
FTIR spectrometer
FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrometer is a powerful analytical instrument used to obtain an infrared spectrum of...
germanium crystal
Germanium crystal refers to a crystalline form of the element germanium (Ge), which is a metalloid and semiconductor...
microlens array
A microlens array is a grid-like structure composed of numerous small lenses, typically arranged in a regular pattern. Each...
self-electro-optic effect device
An optically bistable device used for photonic switching, constructed of a multiple quantum well biased by an external...
angle of refraction
The angle formed between a refracted ray and the normal to the surface. This angle lies in a common plane with the angle of...
quantum well
A quantum well is a structure in quantum mechanics that confines particles, such as electrons or holes, in one spatial...
multi-axis alignment
Multi-axis alignment refers to the process of aligning or adjusting components or systems in multiple spatial dimensions or...
detector array
A detector array refers to a collection of individual detector elements arranged in a two-dimensional grid or matrix format....
Cassegrain lens system
A two-mirror lens design used in astronomical telescopes, the primary being a parabola, the secondary a smaller hyperbola....
saturation
1. The decrease of the absorption (or gain) coefficient of a medium near some transition frequency when the power of the...
packing density
1. In a photonic interconnect, the number of detectors in a given area. Detectors spaced too closely may give rise to...
intrinsic detector
A photodetector composed of a photoconductive material that, when exposed to radiation, conducts without the aid of added...
cathode-ray tube
A vacuum tube with an electron gun at one end and a fluorescent screen at the other. Electrons emitted from a heated...
cold atom
Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to...
holographic grating
A holographic grating is a type of diffraction grating that is produced using holographic recording techniques. It consists...
electron microscope
A device utilizing an electron beam for the observation and recording of submicroscopic samples with the aid of photographic...
biplanar image tube
Also called proximity focus image intensifier. A compact image intensifier that utilizes a microchannel plate...
transition
The process whereby a quantum mechanical system alters from one energy level to another. During this process, energy is...
Nicol prism
A prism invented by William Nicol in 1828 that is made of calcite, the end faces of which are ground to an angle of 68°...
fullerenes
Molecules composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid or tube. Also called buckyballs....
arcuate displacement
Displacement in a direction perpendicular to that of the intended displacement, as in a translation stage with simple...
optical multimeter
An instrument that measures several optical parameters, such as optical power and wavelength, with a single measurement...
diamond-turned optic
Diamond turning refers to a precision machining process used to produce complex optical components, particularly lenses and...
fiber optic spectrometer
A fiber optic spectrometer is a device used for measuring the spectral content of light. It utilizes optical fibers to...
photoelectron microscopy
Surface analysis by means of photon induced electron emission. PEM methods provide high lateral resolution of the observed...
multiphoton process
A process involving the interaction (absorption, emission or both) of two or more photons with a molecular entity.
photoconductivity
The conductivity increase exhibited by some nonmetallic materials, resulting from the free carriers generated when photon...
field stop
An aperture located at an image plane of an optical system that determines the size and shape of the image.
field
1. In raster scan television, one of the two scans that are interlaced to make up a frame. 2. See field of view.
lens mount
The metal tube that maintains the optical components of a lens in proper relationship. Some lenses are mounted in metal...
optical fiber optic switches
Optical fiber optic switches are devices used in optical fiber communication systems to selectively route optical signals...
aspheric lens
An aspheric lens is a type of lens whose surface profiles deviate from the traditional spherical shape. Unlike spherical...
direct-vision prism
An assembly of multiple prisms that disperses incident light into its spectral components without deviating light at the...
standing wave
The combination of two waves having the same frequency and amplitude and traveling in opposite directions. Standing waves...
rhomboid prism
A reflecting prism that is rhomboidal in shape. It has two parallel transmitting faces, and two parallel reflecting faces;...
phase
In optics and photonics, "phase" refers to a property of electromagnetic waves, such as light, that describes the position...
blackbody simulator
A source that attempts to create the characteristics of an ideal blackbody. It consists of a cavity, generally spherical,...
inverse Compton effect
The interaction between a photon and an energetic electron, caused by collision, that transfers energy from the electron to...
electrocapillarity modulator
A type of optical modulator with potential application in optical switching and displays, in which applied voltage causes a...
astigmatism
A lens aberration that results in the tangential and sagittal image planes being separated axially.
Fourier transform spectrometer
An instrument using a Michelson interferometer, a beamsplitter, two plane mirrors and a detector to give Fourier analysis of...
linear positioning stage
A linear positioning stage, also known as a linear stage or translation stage, is a precision mechanical device used to...
metalens
A metalens, short for "metasurface lens," is a type of optical lens that uses nanostructured materials to manipulate light...
Kerr cell
A cell filled with a transparent material that, when placed in a strong electrical field, exhibits double refraction. Since...
Sagnac interferometer
A type of interferometer in which two coils of optical fiber are arranged so that light from a single source travels...
Kellner eyepiece
An eyepiece consisting of a planoconvex field lens and a cemented doublet as the eye lens.
indium gallium arsenide camera
An InGaAs (indium gallium arsenide) camera is a type of imaging device that utilizes InGaAs sensors to capture images in the...
lens testing equipment
Lens testing equipment refers to a range of specialized tools and instruments used to evaluate the optical performance,...
monochromatic light
Light consisting of a single wavelength or a very narrow band of wavelengths.
Abbe refractometer
Device which measures the index of refraction of glass as well as the dispersion over visible range.
high harmonic generation
High harmonic generation (HHG) refers to a nonlinear optical process in which intense laser light interacts with a gaseous...
fluorescence
Fluorescence is a type of luminescence, which is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other...
apochromat
An apochromat, often referred to as an apochromatic lens or apochromatic objective, is a type of optical system designed to...
Callier coefficient
The coefficient termed by Callier as the ratio between the density of photographic negatives measured by parallel light and...
fiber optic sensor
A fiber optic sensor is a device that uses optical fibers to detect and measure physical, chemical, biological, or...
design and engineering consulting services
Design and engineering consulting services refer to professional services provided by specialized firms or individuals to...
aerocartography
The creation of topographical maps and charts from a stereographic record produced through the overlapping of consecutive...
optical coherence tomography imaging system
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique used in medical diagnostics and biomedical research to obtain...
wide-angle distortion
A common aberration in lenses covering large fields of view; it results in images of objects near the edge of the field...
Amici prism
Also known as roof prism. A type of prism designed by G.B. Amici. It consists of a roof edge produced upon the long...
alexandrite lasers
An alexandrite laser is a solid-state laser that utilizes a synthetic crystal made from the rare earth element alexandrite...
atom optics
The area of optics in which the wave nature of a particle is exploited to carry out very accurate interferometry and other...
photodetector
A photodetector, also known as a photosensor or photodiode, is a device that detects and converts light into an electrical...
flying spot microscope
A microscope that uses a flying spot scanner, directed through the eyepiece, as a light source to determine the features of...
internal photoeffect
The effect in which photons are absorbed and excite the electrons; the electrons move from the valence band to the...
vignetting
In an optical system, the gradual reduction of image illuminance as the off-axis angle increases, resulting from limitations...
overhead projector
A projector used to project transparencies. A horizontal 8 x 10-in. stage for writing or laying down preformed...
t number
The equivalent f number of a fictitious lens that has a circular opening and 100 percent transmittance, which would give the...
image amplifier
An electro-optic system using, in general form, an evacuated glass envelope with a semitransparent photocathode at one end...
short-arc lamp
A compact high-pressure light source in which an electrical discharge between electrodes spaced no more than 12 mm apart...
superior mirage
An image of an object that appears above the object's true position as the result of abnormal refraction of the image rays...
clear eye distance
In a visual optical system, the axial distance from the last mechanical surface of the eyepiece to the exit pupil.
offset prism
A prism or prism assembly that serves to displace the instrument's optical axis.
bandgap
In semiconductor physics, the term bandgap refers to the energy range in a material where no electronic states are allowed....
attosecond photonics sources
Attosecond photonics sources refer to devices or systems that generate extremely short pulses of light on the order of...
Michelson-Morley experiment
An optical experiment carried out conclusively in 1887 that demonstrated that the ether, a hypothetical medium postulated by...
emission spectrum
An emission spectrum is a graphical representation or a characteristic pattern of the wavelengths or frequencies of light...
three-photon microscopy
Three-photon microscopy is an advanced imaging technique that belongs to the family of multi-photon microscopy methods. It...
nonradiative transition
A nonradiative transition refers to a process in which an electron or an atom undergoes a change in its energy state without...

(604 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.