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Bristol Instruments, Inc. - 872 Series High-Res 4/24 LB
refractive index Dictionary Terms

numerical aperture
The sine of the vertex angle of the largest cone of meridional rays that can enter or leave an optical system or element,...
segment
In multifocal spectacles, a term used to denote glass with a high refractive index that has been fused to the blank and...
rare-earth type glass
Optical glasses containing the oxides of rare earths such as lanthanum to impart a very high refractive index combined with...
cladding glass
In fiber optics, the glass that is found around the glass core of the fiber, and that has a lower refractive index than the...
dispersion
Dispersion refers to the phenomenon where different wavelengths (colors) of light travel at different speeds when passing...
antiguide
A waveguide that has a core with a lower refractive index than the refractive index of the cladding. This structure can...
dielectric coating
A high-reflectance coating consisting of alternating layers of quarter-wave film of a higher refractive index and lower...
acousto-optic deflection
The angular change of an incident beam due to vibrational induced refractive index changes within a crystal.
Christiansen effect
The monochromatic transparency effect produced by the immersion of a finely powdered substance (e.g., glass or quartz) into...
phase contrast microscopy
Phase contrast microscopy is an optical microscopy technique that enhances the contrast of transparent and colorless...
optical extent
Mathematically defined as the product of etendue (or throughput) and the square of the refractive index, the optical extent...
thin lens relationships
Formulas designating the relationships between image distance, object distance, focal length, refractive index, etc., of a...
spherical gradient
In gradient index optics, a gradient profile in which the refractive index varies symmetrically about a point.
axial gradient
In gradient index optics, a gradient profile in which the refractive index varies along the direction of light propagation,...
photon jet
A photon jet is a narrow, highly collimated beam of light that is formed when light interacts with small dielectric...
dichroic mirror
A dichroic mirror, also known as a dichroic beamsplitter or interference filter beamsplitter, is an optical device that...
phase
In optics and photonics, "phase" refers to a property of electromagnetic waves, such as light, that describes the position...
electro-optic modulator
An electro-optic modulator (EOM) is a device used to modulate the amplitude, phase, or polarization of light waves using an...
ellipsometry
Ellipsometry is an optical technique used to characterize the properties of thin films and surfaces. It is based on the...
optical thickness
The physical thickness times the refractive index.
electro-optic effect
The change in the refractive index of a material under the influence of an electrical field.
glass annealing furnace
A furnace, generally electrically heated, with a control system capable of following a cam by which the temperature can be...
fluor crown glass
Optical glass that possesses a refractive index equal to or less than 1.5, and an Abbe number that ranges from 62 to about...
button
A piece of glass with a high refractive index that is fused to the major blank.
Murty interferometer
A form of shearing interferometer that contains a simple wedged (plane-parallel) glass plate with a nonzero optical path...
acousto-optic tunable filter
A bulk crystalline optic which permits the propagation of light through a volume of index altered material. The variation in...
index profile
In an optical waveguide, the refractive index as a function of radius.
fiber Bragg grating
A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is a type of optical filter that is inscribed or "written" into the core of an optical fiber. It...
etalon
An etalon is an optical device that consists of two parallel reflecting surfaces separated by a precise and known distance....
refractive index profile
The description of the refractive index along a fiber diameter.
optical fiber
Optical fiber is a thin, flexible, transparent strand or filament made of glass or plastic used for transmitting light...
magnesium fluoride
A colorless, crystalline compound whose low refractive index (n = 1.38) makes it effective as a lens antireflection coating...
optical cements and adhesive
Optical cements and adhesives are specialized materials used in the assembly and bonding of optical components in optical...
surface wave
A wave that is guided by the interface between two different media or by a refractive index gradient in the medium. The...
rectilinear propagation
Straight line travel. This denotes the fact that light travels in a straight line when traveling through a medium with a...
Schlieren photography
The formation of a picture or image in which the density gradients in a volume of flow are rendered visible. The image is...
prism coupler
An instrument that measures the angle at which a prism can couple laser light into an optical waveguide; used to determine...
mode hopping
Mode hopping in the context of lasers refers to a phenomenon where a laser system abruptly switches from one longitudinal...
index-matching material
A material, often a liquid or cement, whose refractive index is nearly equal to the fiber's core index, used to reduce...
weakly guided fiber
A fiber for which the difference between the maximum and the minimum refractive index is small, usually less than 1 percent.
core
The light-conducting portion of an optical fiber, defined by the region of high refractive index.
elasto-optic effect
A change in the refractive index of an optical fiber caused by variation in the length of the fiber core in response to...
reduced focal length
The ratio of the first focal length of a lens to the refractive index of the medium containing the incident light; the ratio...
digital holographic microscopy
Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is an advanced imaging technique that combines holography and digital image processing...
pulse reduction factor
Factor that relates the pulse spread occurring in a graded-index fiber to that of an equivalent step-index fiber having an...
double refraction
The separation of unpolarized light into two plane-polarized elements by a doubly refracting crystal. When a crystal, such...
optical glass
Optical glass refers to a type of glass specifically engineered and manufactured for use in optical components and systems,...
molded blank
A blank whose basic surface curves are attained by heating and forming a given weight of raw glass; a rough glass blank...
graded index
Descriptive of an optical fiber having a core refractive index that decreases almost parabolically and radially outward...
Fresnel reflection loss
Reflection losses incurred at input and output of optical elements because of the difference in refractive index between...
label-free
Label-free refers to a technique or method that does not require the use of additional labels, tags, or markers to detect or...
major
A blank to which a piece of glass of a different refractive index will be fused to form a multifocal lens.
phase-modulated sensor
A phase-modulated sensor is a type of sensor that uses modulation of the phase of a signal to measure changes in a physical...
refractive index contrast
A measure of the relative difference in refractive index between two optical materials. Most commonly used in fiber optics...
anisotropy
Anisotropy refers to the property of exhibiting different values or characteristics when measured in different directions....
phase screen
A phase screen, in the context of optics and wave optics, refers to a surface or medium that introduces a phase delay to an...
refractometry
The method used to determine the refractive index of a given substance.
critical angle
The least angle of incidence at which total internal reflection takes place. The angle of incidence in a denser medium, at...
anomalous propagation
Irregular propagation of a wave due to variations in the medium's density or refractive index.
profile dispersion
In an optical waveguide, that dispersion attributable to the variation of refractive index profile with wavelength. The...
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...
geometric optics
A field of physics that deals with light as if it truly were composed of rays diverging in various directions from the...
microchannel spatial light modulator
A device to modulate spatially a collimated coherent beam of light with input data in optical data processing. It uses a...
fluorite
The optical form of the crystal fluorspar, calcium fluoride, that is utilized for its low optical dispersion, its low...
optical distance
The physical length of the light path in a substance divided by the refractive index of that substance. See also equivalent...
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur...
total internal reflection fluorescence
Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy is an advanced fluorescence microscopy technique that leverages the...
spatial light interference microscopy
Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) is an optical microscopy technique that belongs to the category of quantitative...
step index profile
A profile of an optical component, usually a fiber, in which the core is of uniform refractive index and the cladding or...
metamaterial
Metamaterials are artificial materials engineered to have properties not found in naturally occurring substances. These...
GRIN lens
A GRIN (gradient index) lens is a type of optical lens that utilizes a gradient in refractive index across its volume rather...
optical assembly
An optical assembly refers to a collection of optical components that are carefully arranged and aligned to perform a...
index-guided laser
A laser diode with an output beam contained in the active layer by means of a built-in refractive index profile formed in...
contact fluid
A liquid, usually of a specific refractive index and dispersion, serving as an interface between two solids to form a...
double-clad fiber
Double-clad fiber (DCF) is a specialized optical fiber that features two concentric cladding layers surrounding a core. The...
refractive index structure function
The mean square difference in refractive index for two separate points in space.
glass marking ink
Ink used for writing on glass, and also for blackening the edges of lenses to prevent reflection. In the latter case, the...
optical blacking
A light absorbing material applied to ground optical surfaces during the process of making that surface non reflective. Such...
group index
For a given mode propagating in a medium of refractive index n, the velocity of light in vacuum c, divided by the group...
index dip
The decrease in the refractive index at the center of a fiber's core, caused by certain fabrication techniques. Also called...
glass barium
A type of glass containing barium oxide, which is added to increase the refractive index while maintaining a relatively low...
self-phase modulation
Self-phase modulation (SPM) is a nonlinear optical phenomenon that occurs when an intense laser beam passes through a...
modified chemical vapor deposition
Modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) is a technique used in the fabrication of optical fibers. It is a specialized form...
relative refractive index
The quantity equal to the refractive index of one medium divided by that of a second medium.
absolute refractive index
The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum divided by the speed of light in the medium.
attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy
Attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy is a technique used in analytical chemistry to obtain IR spectra of samples....
prism chromatic resolving power
The chromatic resolving power of a prism is invariably stated for the case in which parallel rays of light are incident on...
holographic tomography
Holographic tomography is an advanced imaging technique that combines holography and tomography to provide three-dimensional...
divided circle spectrometer
A spectroscope having a divided circle and a means for the rapid reversal of prisms for the measurement of refractive index...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
refractive index liquids
A closely spaced series of well-known chemicals having a refractive index lying between 1.33 for water and 1.95 for a...
Cerenkov radiation
The radiation produced when a charged particle traverses a medium that has a refractive index considerably greater than...
optical path length
In a medium of constant refractive index, the product of the geometrical distance and the refractive index.
negative-refraction metamaterial
An artificial material, engineered to have a negative refractive index value, such that light or any other form of...
differential interference contrast microscopy
Differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, also known as Nomarski interference contrast microscopy, is an optical...
pointing interferometer
A device attached to the end of an alignment telescope that detects and calculates a plane mirror's rotation axis that is...
refractive index
 lattice
In photonics, a lattice refers to a periodic arrangement of optical elements or structures, often on a microscopic or...
optical phase distortion
Optical phase distortion refers to a phenomenon where the phase of an optical wavefront is altered as it propagates through...
dark-field photomicrography
A photomicrographic recording technique that utilizes dark-field illumination to render an image of an object having a...
Mie scattering
Mie scattering, named after the German physicist Gustav Mie, refers to the scattering of electromagnetic radiation (such as...
fiber optic preform
A fiber optic preform is a cylindrical glass rod or tube used as the starting material for manufacturing optical fibers. It...
broadband dielectric mirrors
Broadband dielectric mirrors, also known as broadband mirrors, are optical coatings designed to efficiently reflect or...
optical testing instrument
An optical testing instrument is a device or system used to evaluate and measure the performance, quality, and...
cladding mode stripper
A mechanism or device, especially a coating with a refractive index equal to or slightly greater than that of an optical...
microbubble resonator
A microbubble resonator is a device used in photonics and optical physics for the precise manipulation of light waves. It...
laser drift
Laser drift typically refers to a phenomenon where the frequency or wavelength of a laser source gradually changes over...
gradient-index profile
The term gradient-index profile refers to a specific type of refractive index distribution within an optical material. In...
optically biaxial crystal
One of a class of crystalline substances belonging to triclinic, monoclinic and orthorhombic systems that have two optic...
quantitative phase imaging
Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is an advanced imaging technique used in microscopy to measure and analyze the optical...
graduated refractive index
 styrene acrylonitrile
A copolymer of styrene and acrylic used in molded optical components; it has a high refractive index and a low coefficient...
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...
absorbing wedge
A doped or absorbing transparent medium cut or molded into a wedge in order to measure the real and imaginary components of...
electro-optics
1. The branch of physics that deals with the use of electrical energy to create or manipulate light waves, generally by...
immersion liquid
Term synonymous with refractive index liquid, but related more to tank or chamber immersion of crystals, fibers, lenses,...
N, n
A symbol used to represent the refractive index. It is commonly used with a subscript to represent the wavelength of light.
photorefractive material
A material in which the refractive index varies according to changes in the light to which it is exposed. Lithium niobate is...
Pockels
In optics, the Pockels effect refers to the phenomenon where the refractive index of a material changes in response to an...
normalized frequency
Also referred to as the V number in fiber optics; the normalized frequency is a dimensionless quantity, denoted by the...
microring resonator
A microring resonator is a compact optical device that utilizes the resonant behavior of light within a small ring-shaped...
striae
An imperfection in optical glass consisting of a distinct streak of transparent material having a slightly different...
step index fiber
An optical fiber in which the core is of uniform refractive index.
liquid lightguide
An optical fiber with a hollow core filled with a liquid material that has a higher refractive index than the solid...
radiation-shielding windows
Plates of glass containing as many heavy metal oxides as can be dissolved in the glass without causing devitrification. The...
impurity level
In the context of optical materials, the term "impurity level" refers to the presence of foreign atoms or molecules within...
optofluidics
Optofluidics is an interdisciplinary field that combines principles from optics and fluidics to create devices and systems...
holographic microscopy
The holographic recording of a microscopic specimen whereby magnification is achieved by alteration in a wavelength or...
Christiansen-effect filter
A transparent powdered solid immersed in a liquid or plastic of similar refractive index but widely different dispersion;...
refractometer
An instrument used to measure the refractive index of solids and liquids. Several types exist, the most common being the...
fluorophosphate glass
A special laser glass made primarily of fluoride compounds that exhibits extremely low refractive index and allows greater...
refraction
The bending of oblique incident rays as they pass from a medium having one refractive index into a medium with a different...
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...
acoustophotorefractive effect
The change in refractive index that occurs as acoustic vibrations are transmitted through an optical material.The index...
optical gate
An optical gate typically refers to a device or system that controls the transmission of light, allowing it to pass through...
surface reflection
Also known as Fresnel reflection. That portion of the incident radiation that is reflected from the surface of a refractive...
Kerr soliton
A Kerr soliton refers to a specific type of soliton, a self-reinforcing wave packet, that arises in nonlinear optical...
gain-guided laser
A laser diode in which the beam is confined to the region of the active layer with gain high enough to accomplish such...
standard refraction
The refraction that would take place in an idealized atmosphere where the refractive index is reduced uniformly with height...
fast axis
In a birefringent material, the index of refraction varies with the direction of vibration of a lightwave. That direction...
optically uniaxial crystal
A transparent crystalline substance in which the refractive index of the optic axis (extraordinary axis) is different from...
monomer exchange diffusion
Process that occurs when a polymerized soft plastic rod with higher refractive index is placed in a bath of a lower...
infrared modulated ellipsometry
A direct method of measuring refractive index that works best with flat-surfaced samples (i.e., those that are not dependent...
flint glass
One of the two major types of optical glass, the other being crown glass. Flint glass is softer than crown glass, has a...
Kerr effect
The Kerr effect, named after the physicist John Kerr who first observed it in 1875, is a nonlinear optical phenomenon where...
multilayer coating
A coating made up of many layers of material having alternating high and low refractive index. In this way, it is possible...
optically isotropic crystal
A transparent crystalline substance that displays the same optical properties (i.e. refractive index) in all directions such...
material dispersion
The dispersion attributable to the wavelength dependence of the refractive index of the material used in any optical...
brightfield
Brightfield refers to a type of microscopy and imaging technique in which the specimen is illuminated with a white light...
homogeneous cladding
That part of the cladding wherein the refractive index is constant within a specified tolerance, as a function of radius.

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