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Energy Dictionary Terms

attosecond-pump attosecond-probe spectroscopy
Attosecond-pump attosecond-probe spectroscopy (APAP) is an advanced technique in ultrafast spectroscopy that allows...
excitation index
The ratio of the intensities of two specified spectral lines of a source having vastly different excitation energies. This...
resonance absorption (light)
The re-emission of absorbed energy, having the same wavelength as the incident energy, in an arbitrary direction from a...
holmium laser
Holmium lasers are a type of medical laser that utilizes holmium-doped crystals as the gain medium. The term holmium laser...
Planck's law
A fundamental law of quantum theory which states that the discrete quanta of energy transfers associated with...
dispersing prism
A prism or series of prisms used to disperse a beam of radiant energy of mixed wavelengths into its spectral components.
baseline
The smallest amount of photon energy to pass a detector window and be counted.
solar battery
A series of solar cells arranged to collect solar radiation and to generate a given amount of electrical energy.
three-photon microscopy
Three-photon microscopy is an advanced imaging technique that belongs to the family of multi-photon microscopy methods. It...
nuclear quadrupole resonance spectroscopy
A chemical detection technique used to measure molecules that have a magnetic dipole moment. The analysis is directed to...
excitation
1. The process by which an atom acquires energy sufficient to raise it to a quantum state higher than its ground state. 2....
photovoltaic
Photovoltaic (PV) refers to a technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductors. The term...
cross section
Calculation of the probability of an interaction between two types of particles, such as light absorption, excitation or...
chip-on-board lights
Chip-on-board (COB) lights refer to a type of LED lighting technology where multiple LED chips are directly mounted onto a...
chalcogenide
Chalcogenide refers to a class of compounds containing elements from group 16 of the periodic table, which includes sulfur...
sonoradiography
The diagnostic procedure that uses ultrasonic energy to probe the body and, with the help of laser beams, a reflecting...
electro-optics
1. The branch of physics that deals with the use of electrical energy to create or manipulate light waves, generally by...
active transport
The transport of molecules in a cell which requires the use of a cell's internal energy. The energy used in the cell may be...
ray
A geometric representation of a light path through an optical device; a line normal to the wavefront indicating the...
radiant power
The time rate of flow of radiant energy, expressed in watts (W), and carries the units of Joule per second (J/s). The prefix...
thermophotovoltaic
Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) refers to a technology that converts heat energy into electricity using the principles of...
laser controlled area
Area in which laser operation occurs and therefore safety requirements are met and regulations are implemented. Lasers...
energy density
The energy in a medium per unit volume.
conversion efficiency
In a pumped laser system, the ratio of output energy to pump energy.
phase matching
Phase matching is a crucial concept in the field of optics, particularly in nonlinear optics and the generation of coherent...
optical clock
An optical clock is a highly precise and advanced timekeeping device that relies on the oscillations of electromagnetic...
quantum well
A quantum well is a structure in quantum mechanics that confines particles, such as electrons or holes, in one spatial...
photoluminescence
The state of optically excited luminescence. Luminescence refers to the light emitted by excited atoms or ions as they decay...
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a type of material that has electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. In...
cascade shower
A shower of cosmic rays whereby a high-energy electron produces one or more photons that convert into electron pairs, the...
prelasing
When uncontrolled laser energy leaks from a laser cavity prematurely, it causes serious damage to optical components and...
high-pressure cloud chamber
A cloud chamber designed to maintain the gas within it at a high pressure as a means of reducing the range of the...
anisophotic source
A light source that emits an uneven distribution of radiant energy through the visible range.
ion-assisted deposition
A technique for improving the structure density of thin-film coatings by bombarding the growing film with accelerated ions...
blackbody
An ideal body that completely absorbs all radiant energy striking it and, therefore, appears perfectly black at all...
dewetting
Dewetting is a phenomenon in materials science and physics where a thin film or coating spontaneously undergoes a process of...
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...
blindness
The inability to perceive visual images (visible radiant energy). In human beings, blindness is defined as a visual acuity...
vision
The processes in which luminous energy incident on the eye is perceived and evaluated.
thermoelectric converter
An instrument that transforms heat energy into electrical energy.
fluorescent screen
A fluorescent screen refers to a phosphorescent or fluorescent-coated surface that emits visible light when exposed to other...
free-electron laser
A free-electron laser (FEL) is a type of laser that generates coherent, high-intensity electromagnetic radiation by using a...
spread function
The distribution of energy about the image of a point source in the focal plane of an optical system.
inverse Compton effect
The interaction between a photon and an energetic electron, caused by collision, that transfers energy from the electron to...
radiometer
A device used to measure the intensity of radiant energy.
photoelectric spectrophotometer
A system that consists of a spectrophotometer with a photoelectric detector for measurement of radiant energy.
vibrational transition
A vibrational transition refers to a change in the vibrational energy of a molecule. Molecules consist of atoms that are...
saturation
1. The decrease of the absorption (or gain) coefficient of a medium near some transition frequency when the power of the...
effective aperture
1. That portion of the aperture that functions to collect energy and deliver it to the final system detector. 2. For an...
cold atom
Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to...
Q-switch
A device used to rapidly change the Q of an optical resonator. It is used in the optical resonator of a laser to prevent...
selective laser melting
Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that belongs to the powder bed...
nuclear magnetic resonance
A phenomenon, exploited for medical imaging, in which the nuclei of material placed in a strong magnetic field will absorb...
electrodynamics
The study of the generation of electromagnetic power by radiation from high-energy beams.
reagent
A reagent is a substance or compound that is used in a chemical reaction to bring about a specific transformation or to...
laser output
The laser output refers to the generated and emitted light produced by a laser system. This output is characterized by...
conduction welding
A type of laser welding of thin materials using a defocused or low-power carbon dioxide laser beam. The energy is absorbed...
gamma-ray spectrometer
An instrument used to detect and measure the energy distribution of gamma rays. It has been used to chart the radioactivity...
undulator magnet
A device used in a free-electron laser to convert the electron-beam's energy into microwave laser radiation by creating a...
laser shock adhesion test
A nondestructive test, also referred to as LASAT, that uses a high-energy laser pulse that is targeted on an adhesively...
laser ablation
Laser ablation is a process that involves the removal or erosion of material from a target surface using laser energy. This...
spectral centroid
Average wavelength usually determined for light-transmitting devices by taking a weighted average for each wavelength of the...
ion-beam sputtering
Ion-beam sputtering (IBS) is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique used for depositing thin films onto substrates. It...
double-clad fiber
Double-clad fiber (DCF) is a specialized optical fiber that features two concentric cladding layers surrounding a core. The...
MSM photodiode
A metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodiode is a type of photodetector that consists of metal electrodes on a semiconductor...
plasmon ion-assisted deposition
Plasmon ion-assisted deposition (PIAD) is a technique used in thin-film deposition processes, particularly in the production...
indirect radiative transition
An energy transition concerned with the combination of a photon and a phonon.
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,...
solid-state laser
A solid-state laser is a type of laser that uses a solid gain medium (as opposed to a liquid or gas) to produce coherent...
soft radiation
Term applied to radiation composed of particles or photons that will not easily penetrate a material because of their low...
waveguide
A waveguide is a physical structure or device that is designed to confine and guide electromagnetic waves, such as radio...
radiation length
The average length in a specific material in which a relativistic charged particle will lose 67 percent of its energy by...
PN-junction luminescence
Discharge that results when a doped semiconductor crystal with a PN junction is charged with a low-voltage direct current....
emission spectrum
An emission spectrum is a graphical representation or a characteristic pattern of the wavelengths or frequencies of light...
infrared phosphor
A phosphor, such as sulfide or selenide, that can be excited to luminescence by incident infrared radiation simultaneous to...
line spectrum
A spectrum formed by radiation whose energy values of the property being measured cluster about at least one discrete value,...
Deslandres diagram
A diagram in which the variable frequencies of a spectral band system are plotted corresponding to ascending values of the...
blue diode laser
A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...
Auger electron spectroscopy
The energy analysis of electrons released in a secondary step following initial excitation or ionization.
quantum cascade laser
A quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics....
diffraction fanning
The formation of a fan of light or energy rays in a beam as the beam passes through an extremely narrow aperture.
single-walled carbon nanotubes
Referred to as SWCNTs, these cylindrical nanostructures composed of a folded sheet of graphene can be used as near-infrared...
pulsed laser deposition
A technique for depositing a material coating on metal, ceramic, semiconductor or polymer substrates. The interaction of...
fluorophosphate glass
A special laser glass made primarily of fluoride compounds that exhibits extremely low refractive index and allows greater...
atom optics
The area of optics in which the wave nature of a particle is exploited to carry out very accurate interferometry and other...
ultrasonic imaging
The formation and display of three-dimensional images by ultrasonic energy. In one technique, the energy pulses from an...
Raman spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy is a technique used in analytical chemistry and physics to study vibrational, rotational, and other...
laser texturing
Laser texturing is a manufacturing process that involves using a laser beam to selectively modify the surface of a material,...
Dobson spectrophotometer
A spectrophotometer that measures the amount of ozone in the atmosphere through a comparison of solar energy at two...
radio-frequency linear accelerator
A device used to accelerate the electrons in a free-electron laser by channeling microwave energy into waveguide cavity...
beam diameter
1. Calculated distance between two exactly opposed points on a beam at a chosen fraction of peak power (typically 1/e2). 2....
directed energy
Directed energy refers to a type of energy that is emitted and transferred in a controlled direction. The term is often...
gallium nitride
Gallium nitride (GaN) is a compound made up of gallium (Ga) and nitrogen (N). It is a wide-bandgap semiconductor material...
phosphor
A chemical substance that exhibits fluorescence when excited by ultraviolet radiation, x-rays or an electron beam. The...
equal-energy source
A light source that produces an equal-energy spectrum.
elastic scattering
Scattering caused by the interaction between ingoing and outgoing particles of the same type, with no loss of kinetic energy.
electrochemistry
The study of the reversible conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy. Electroplating is an electrochemical...
Lorentz oscillator model
The Lorentz oscillator model is a theoretical model used in physics to describe the response of a charged particle (such as...
fill factor
In solar energy technology, the percent of usable land covered by collectors. The horizontal collector is the only design...
double-layer light amplifier
A device used to create a light output that exceeds light input, the energy being provided by an electric field. It consists...
slit-width error
The error inherent in spectral energy or spectrophotometric quantity due to the finite dimension of the entrance and exit...
halogen lamp
A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen, quartz-halogen, or quartz iodine lamp, is an incandescent lamp that uses a...
optical pumping
The process whereby the number of atoms or atomic systems in a set of energy levels is changed by the absorption of light...
solar heat storage
The process of transferring collected energy from solar radiation into a heat-absorbing medium (e.g., an insulated tank of...
electroluminescence
The nonthermal conversion of electrical energy into light in a liquid or solid substance. The photon emission resulting from...
optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is a branch of electronics that focuses on the study and application of devices and systems that use light...
continuous wave
Continuous wave (CW) refers to a type of signal or transmission where the signal is constant and does not vary with time. In...
wave
1. An undulation or vibration; a form of movement by which all radiant energy of the electromagnetic spectrum is estimated...
photonegative
The property exhibited by a substance having electrical conductivity that decreases as the intensity of the incident visible...
periodic wave
A wave of radiant energy in which each point of the wave is repeatedly displaced at equal time intervals.
phototoxicity
Phototoxicity refers to the harmful effects caused by exposure to light, particularly intense or ultraviolet (UV) light, on...
optical transition
The process by which an atomic system changes from one energy level to another by either the emission or absorption of...
laser pump
A source of energy that produces needed excitation for population inversion in laser operation. The excitation source that...
Compton scattering
The phenomenon observed by A.H. Compton in 1923 -- that some scattered radiation possesses a longer wavelength and...
stimulated Brillouin scattering
In Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS), an incident photon (usually laser light) interacts with acoustic phonons in a...
equal-energy white
A stimulus that contains equal energy at each wavelength in the visible region of the spectrum.
Luneburg lens
A dielectric sphere with an index of refraction that varies with distance from the sphere center. A parallel beam of rays is...
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...
GaN-based LEDs
Gallium nitride-based light-emitting diodes (GaN-based LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric...
Lawson criterion
Defines the minimum operational standards for a self-sustaining fusion reactor as equivalence between energy released per...
channel electron multiplier
A photoelectric detector consisting of a glass tube internally coated with a low conductance material. Voltage applied along...
Ultraviolet-C
Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) refers to a specific range of ultraviolet radiation with shorter wavelengths than those of visible...
absorption
The transfer of energy from an incident electromagnetic energy field with wavelength or frequency to an atomic or molecular...
isotopically selected laser spectroscopy
A spectroscopic technique in which an excitation band absorbs laser energy resulting in an electronic transition. The...
induction linear accelerator
A device used to accelerate the electrons in a free-electron laser by supplying electrical energy to the electron beam...
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...
fluence
Fluence is a term used in various scientific and technical disciplines to describe the amount of something per unit area....
quencher molecule
In the dye laser, the molecule that takes out energy from the triplet state during collisions between the dye and quencher...
emission line
The line or lines emitted by an element when its radiation particles travel from one energy level to another.
cold shield
That part of an infrared detector-Dewar assembly that limits the solid angle viewed by the sensor; it is maintained at a...
photothermal effect
The cause of some forms of laser injury in which tissue absorbs incident laser light and experiences a damaging rise in...
self-heating
Heating that results from the dissipation of energy.
wavefront
In considering a field of electromagnetic energy emanating from a source, the wavefront is a surface connecting all field...
reflective
The term reflective is an adjective that describes the ability of a surface or material to reflect light or other forms 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...
Brillouin scattering
Brillouin scattering is a phenomenon in physics where an incident electromagnetic wave (usually light) interacts with...
attenuation
Attenuation refers to the gradual loss or reduction of intensity, force, or magnitude of a particular property as it...
Cerenkov counter
An instrument that detects high-energy charged particles by analysis of the Cerenkov radiation that they emit.
Marx effect
The decrease in the energy of a photoelectric emission as a result of the simultaneous incidence of radiation having lower...
joule
A unit of energy or work in the MKS system of units. One joule is equal to 107 ergs.
nuclear fusion
In physics, nuclear fusion refers to the process in which two atomic nuclei come together to form a heavier nucleus,...
bolometer
A thermometric instrument used for the detection and measurement of radiant energy. Its essential component is a short...
free-carrier absorption
The phenomenon whereby an electron within a band absorbs radiation by transferring from a low-energy level to an empty...
Mossbauer effect spectroscopy
Spectroscopy characterized by the Mossbauer effect - recoilless emission and absorption of nuclear gamma radiation- which...
nonlinear optics
Nonlinear optics is a branch of optics that studies the optical phenomena that occur when intense light interacts with a...
integrated energy
Also known as integrated exposure. A measurement of light from sources that vary rapidly with time, defined as the integral...
electromagnetic theory
The theory of propagation of energy by combined electric and magnetic fields included in Maxwell's equations.
quantum
The term quantum refers to the fundamental unit or discrete amount of a physical quantity involved in interactions at the...
chirped-pulse amplification
Chirped pulse amplification (CPA) is a technique used in laser physics to amplify ultrashort laser pulses to high energies...
Bernoulli terms
Mathematical definition for the changes that occur between potential and kinetic energy. These formulas express wave motion.
impurity level
In the context of optical materials, the term "impurity level" refers to the presence of foreign atoms or molecules within...
inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a method of achieving nuclear fusion, a process where two atomic nuclei combine to...
direct radiative transition
An energy transition concerned with photons alone.
thermal radiation
The emission of radiant energy in which the energy emitted originates in the thermal motion of the atoms or molecules of the...
dichroic coating
A dichroic coating, also known as a dichroic filter or dichroic mirror, is an optical coating designed to selectively...
neutral density filter
A light filter that equally decreases the intensity of all wavelengths of light without altering the relative spectral...
scintillation spectrometry
The method of determining the energy distribution of high-speed charged particles by the luminous effect formed when the...
valence band
In a crystalline substance, the spectral range of states of energy that contains the crystal's binding valence electrons.
electron-beam lithography system
An electron-beam lithography (EBL) system is a sophisticated nanofabrication tool used in the semiconductor industry and...
sector disc
A disc, having opaque and transparent sectors or sectors with unlike reflectances, that is rotated at a specific rate to...
computer-generated holographic scanner
A phase reflection scanner that eliminates the need for a complex translation device while maintaining a high-energy-density...
proximity-mode sensing
A method of sensing by transmitting energy from the sensor and detecting the energy after it has been reflected by the...
diode laser
A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light....
neutron radiography
The nondestructive analysis and recording of industrial components based on the absorption of relatively low-energy neutrons...
collective lens
A convex or positive lens that serves to collect energy and direct it into subsequent system optics.
light valve
With respect to display systems, a device that uses an independent light source and a control-layer medium, the active...
underillumination
Illumination of hologram facets with a beam that covers only a small portion of the hologram in order to optimize laser...
atomic clock
An atomic clock is a highly precise timekeeping device that uses the vibrations or oscillations of atoms as a reference for...
crystal optics
The study of the transmission of radiant energy through crystals, especially anisotropic crystals, and their effects on...
rad
A unit of energy absorbed from ionizing radiation, equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material.
kilojoule
A unit of energy or work that is equal to 1000 (103) joules. Abbreviated kJ.
laser crystal
A laser crystal, also known as an active medium or gain medium, is a solid-state material used in the construction of...
absolute temperature scale
The measurement of heat energy as determined from absolute zero as the zero point on the scale. Increments are identical to...
luminescent fiber
Fiber that emits luminescent radiation excited by ultraviolet, x-ray or high-energy particles.
electron temperature
Approximation of a system of thermal equilibrium formed by the distribution of the kinetic energies of electrons in a gas...
metastable state
An excited energy state of an atom or atomic system that has a longer lifetime than the ordinary excited state and typically...
absorptance
The ratio of energy or intensity absorbed by the medium (numerator) to the total incident energy.
ultraviolet reflectance
Ultraviolet reflectance refers to the ability of a material or surface to reflect UV light. Ultraviolet light is...
isoperibol enclosure
An enclosure for a calorimeter that allows measurement of unusually low quantities of power and energy.
photosensitivity
That property of a material indicating that it will react when exposed to light energy.
atomic emission spectrometry
Spectrometric analysis of the distinct and characteristic spectra of atoms of elements. The atoms are energized to emit...
flashlamp
A device that converts stored electrical energy into light by means of a sudden electrical discharge.
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The...
internal standard line
A spectral line of an internal standard; used to compare radiant energy of the line being analyzed.
kampometer
A device designed to measure radiant energy, particularly in the thermal region.
photochemical detector
An instrument used to detect and measure radiant energy by the formation of a chemical reaction.
attosecond photonics sources
Attosecond photonics sources refer to devices or systems that generate extremely short pulses of light on the order of...
exposure
In optics, the total radiant energy incident on a surface-per-unit area. It is equal to the integral over time of the...
diffraction-limited lens
A lens with aberrations corrected to the point that residual wavefront errors are substantially less than one-quarter the...
artificial radioactivity
Radioactivity formed by the bombardment of stable elements by either neutrons or high-energy, charged particles under...
plasma accelerator
A plasma accelerator is a type of particle accelerator that uses electric fields and magnetic fields to accelerate charged...
ionization potential
The amount of energy required for a particular kind of atom to remove an electron to infinite distance. The ionization...
quantum confinement
Quantum confinement refers to the phenomenon in quantum mechanics where the motion of charge carriers, such as electrons or...
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....
photovoltaic cell
A photovoltaic cell, commonly known as a solar cell, is a semiconductor device that directly converts light energy into...
partial coherence theory
Totally coherent radiation is produced by a purely monochromatic point source. In the real world the energy will have a...
blaze
1. A plane that forms one side of the groove ruled on a diffraction grating. 2. To form the individual grooves of a grating...
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-molecule FRET
Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) is a specialized technique in biophysics and molecular...
pulse energy thermography
photographic radiometry
The use of photographic recording equipment to measure radiant energy. With this procedure, many measurements of radiant...
end-fire coupling
End-fire coupling refers to a method of coupling energy into or out of a waveguide, transmission line, or antenna, where the...
equal-energy spectrum
Spectrum characterized by equal energy (power, flux) per unit wavelength interval.
high harmonic generation
High harmonic generation (HHG) refers to a nonlinear optical process in which intense laser light interacts with a gaseous...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
junction diode
A semiconductor device with the property of conducting current more easily in one direction than the other. It has two...
bubble chamber
A large tank filled with liquid hydrogen, with a flat window at one end and complex optical devices for observing and...
silicon cell
A solid-state device, composed of silicon, that is used to convert radiation into electrical energy.
detector
1. A device designed to convert the energy of incident radiation into another form for the determination of the presence of...
damping
Continuous conversion of oscillatory energy into heat, relative to time or distance.
autofluorescence
Autofluorescence refers to the natural emission of fluorescence exhibited by certain biological structures or molecules when...
calorimetry
Calorimetry is a branch of science that involves the measurement of heat flow in physical or chemical processes. It...
plasmonics
Plasmonics is a field of science and technology that focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and free...
fiber optic lightguide
A bundle of optical fibers arranged randomly for the purpose of transmitting energy, not an image.
excimer laser
An excimer laser is a type of ultraviolet laser that emits short pulses of light in the ultraviolet spectrum. The term...
Nichols radiometer
An instrument devised by Nichols and Hull for use in the measurement of radiation pressure. The device has two small...
transmission
In optics, the conduction of radiant energy through a medium. Often denotes the percentage of energy passing through an...
photoacoustic calorimetry
Periodic interruptions of a light beam incident on an absorbing medium that produce heat, expansion and acoustic wave...
arc flash
An arc flash is a sudden release of electrical energy due to an electric arc — a continuous, high-current discharge of...
thermal blooming
The effect that characterizes an intense laser beam that is passed through an absorbing medium, causing the absorbed energy...
conduction band
A partially filled or empty energy band through which electrons can move easily. The material can therefore carry an...
laser powder bed fusion
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a type of additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that uses a high-power...
ablation threshold
The minimum energy required to induce atomic and molecular separation or displacement due to incident intense laser...
optical parametric oscillator
A laser-pumped crystal with nonlinear optical properties inside of an optical resonator in which the output generates...
spatial mode
Also known as transverse mode. The configurations of energy storage, relative to the structure of a laser resonator, that...
quantum dot light-emitting diode
QLED stands for quantum dot light-emitting diode. QLED is a display technology that utilizes quantum dots, which are...
transition
The process whereby a quantum mechanical system alters from one energy level to another. During this process, energy is...
superfluorescence
The process in which the normal rate of fluorescent emission from a substance is enhanced by virtue of the optical gain of...
momentum transfer
In physics, momentum transfer is the amount of momentum transferred from one particle to another during particle collision...
time-sharing laser
A laser fitted with up to eight optical fibers that transmit the energy to different workstations in turn.
average power
In a pulsed laser, the pulse energy in joules times the repetition rate in hertz.
barium fluoride
A relatively hard crystal, highly resistant to excessive energy radiation, that is frequently used for optical windows,...
superelastic collision
Observed phenomenon in laser pulses in which a large number of excited electrons are created and in which multiphoton...
excimer laser coronary angioplasty
Excimer laser coronary angioplasty (ELCA) refers to a medical procedure used in the treatment of coronary artery disease....
mid-wave infrared
MWIR stands for mid-wave infrared, referring to a specific range of wavelengths within the infrared spectrum. Infrared...
laser spark spectroscopy
A method of analysis in which a pulsed laser beam is used to heat a particle, producing a plasma, or laser spark. As the...
photoconductivity
The conductivity increase exhibited by some nonmetallic materials, resulting from the free carriers generated when photon...
alpha laser
A 2-million W, 2.7-µm-wavelength hydrogen-fluoride laser used as a directed energy weapon.
cathode-coupled amplifier
A cascade amplifier that uses a common cathode resistor to couple energy from stage to stage.
gain-switching
Gain-switching is a technique used in lasers to generate short pulses of light by modulating the gain of the laser medium....
equivalency width
Calculation of the amount of energy extracted from a light beam regardless of its wide range resolution.
parasitic oscillation
Oscillation in rod and disc amplifiers that critically limits the achievable energy storage.
chemical laser
A laser that relies on chemical activity instead of electrical energy to produce the pumping action necessary to form pulses...
electric lamp
Any lamp whose emission of radiant energy is dependent upon the passage of an electrical current through the emissive medium.
Schlieren optics
An optical system that records inhomogeneities within a medium by detecting the energy refracted by that portion of the...
polarimetry
The measurement of the rotation of the plane of polarization of radiant energy, usually through the use of a polarimeter.
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...
pneumatic detector
A device used to detect radiant energy by means of the thermal expansion of gas.
linewidth
1. The range of frequencies or wavelengths over which radiations are absorbed or emitted in a transition between a specific...
optical waveguide
Any structure having the ability to guide the flow of radiant energy along a path parallel to its axis and to contain the...
BCS theory
Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of superconductivity, based on the notion that electrons with opposite momentum and spin...
inertial fusion energy
Inertial fusion energy (IFE) refers to a proposed method of generating electricity by harnessing the energy released from...
longitudinal pumping
A dye laser cell configuration in which the dye flows in the direction of the axis of the laser, yielding symmetrical energy...
deep ultraviolet
Deep ultraviolet (DUV or deep-UV) refers to a specific range of ultraviolet light with shorter wavelengths than those in the...
radiant energy
The energy passed on as electromagnetic radiation; e.g., radio, heat or light waves.
radiographic amplifier screen
A solid-state panel of the photoconductor-electroluminescent type. The photoconductive layer, sensitive to x-rays, is coated...
photodischarge spectroscopy
A spectroscopic process that detects and analyzes the discharge from an extrinsic surface with less than bandgap light. This...
nanophotonics
Nanophotonics is a branch of science and technology that explores the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, typically at...
carbon dioxide laser
A gas laser in which the energy-state transitions between vibrational and rotational states of CO2 molecules give emission...
electron cyclotron maser
A maser that relies on the fact that electrons in orbital motion in high-magnetic fields will emit energy at the cyclotron...
femtosecond laser
A femtosecond laser is a type of laser that emits ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of femtoseconds,...
solar absorber
A substance capable of converting solar radiation into thermal energy.
laser detector
Device that operates by interaction of incident radiation with semiconductor based material in order to produce an...
thermodynamics
Examination of the processes whereby heat energy is converted into other forms of energy.
luminous flux
Descriptive of the radiant power of visible light modified by the eye response. It is the measure of the flow of visible...
medical lasers
Medical lasers are devices that produce intense beams of light with specific characteristics and properties, which are used...
vibronic transition
A type of change in the energy levels of molecules in a laser that results in lasing action. Vibronic transitions are those...
color center
A color center, in the context of materials science and condensed matter physics, refers to a specific type of...
absorbance
The natural log of the ratio of absorbed intensity over the total intensity which gives a constant value assuming a stable...
neuromorphic vision sensor
A neuromorphic vision sensor is a type of imaging device designed to mimic the structure and functioning of the human visual...
cell
1. A single unit in a device for changing radiant energy to electrical energy or for controlling current flow in a circuit....
crosstalk
The measurable leakage of optical energy from one optical conductor to another. Also known as optical coupling.
lattice energy
With respect to the crystal, the decrease in energy that follows the process whereby the ions, separated from each other by...
second-harmonic generation
Second-harmonic generation (SHG) is a nonlinear optical process that occurs when two photons with the same frequency combine...
electric CO laser
An electrically excited laser having carbon monoxide as the lasing material and in which lasing occurs in a partial...
depletion region
The region at the PN junction in a semiconductor radiation detector where the potential energies of the two materials create...
self-luminous light source
Any material that derives its energy from chemically or electrically induced reactions; isotope or radium excitation is used...
infrared scanner
An optical system used to collect infrared energy from a scene using scanning optics with a point or line detector, as...
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...
annihilation radiation
Gamma ray radiation released when matter and antimatter, such as electron and positron, unite and eliminate each other,...
phototelegraphy
A document-transmitting process that uses a cylinder that rotates the document to be scanned and detected by a photoelectric...
atomic absorption spectroscopy
The analysis of the atomic structure of a sample by means of a source radiation that is absorbed and emitted by the sample...
organic light-emitting diode
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) technology that utilizes organic compounds to...
photoelectric absorption
The transformation of incident radiant energy into a photoelectric emission current.
optical emission spectroscopy
In dry etching, a method of characterizing the composition of solid materials such as metal. Atoms in the OES technique are...
Planck's constant
The universal constant h that has a value of 6.6260693 x 10-34 Js. A quantum of energy is equal to the product of the...
radiology
The study of radioactive substances and high-energy radiations such as x-rays and g-rays.
interferometric modulator display
Interferometric modulator display (IMOD) is a type of display technology used in electronic devices, known for its energy...
watt
The power that gives rise to the production of energy at the rate of 1 joule per second.
electron-gun system
An electron-gun system is an assembly used to generate and control a focused beam of electrons. Electron guns find...
Josephson effect
Characteristic of radiation detectors that produce energy that is similar to the energy of superconductive gaps when...
laser-induced fluorescence
Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is a spectroscopic technique that involves using a laser to excite molecules or atoms,...
capacitor
A device that accumulates and stores electrical energy to introduce capacitance into a circuit. Basically, it is composed of...
photoreactive agent
Participates in a reaction only in the presence of light and radiant energy. Besides 3D printing, photoreactive agents also...
degenerate level
The condition in which two or more energy states are identical.
acceptor
Impurity in a semiconductor or any other electroluminescent device capable of inducing hole conduction and accepting a...
nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
That branch of spectroscopy that applies to the study of interactions between energy and atomic nuclei. The simultaneous...
fluorophore
A fluorophore is a molecule or a portion of a molecule that has the ability to emit light upon excitation by an external...
heat-absorbing filter
A glass filter that transmits visible light while absorbing infrared energy (heat).
connector loss
Energy loss encountered at connectors in optical fiber transmission systems. The major contributors are mutual core...
beam shaper
A beam shaper is an optical device or system designed to modify the spatial profile or intensity distribution of a laser or...
snooperscope
An instrument used for viewing in low levels of illumination by means of infrared radiation. A high-aperture lens forms an...
power average
For a pulsed laser, the product of the energy per pulse (joule) and the pulse frequency (hertz); expressed in watts.
scanning electron microscopy
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is an advanced imaging technique used in microscopy to obtain high-resolution,...
rotational transition
One of the types of change in the energy levels of molecules or atoms in a laser that can result in lasing action. Because...
gray
1. A measure of absorbed dose, equal to the energy imparted by ionizing radiation to a mass of matter corresponding to 1 J...
wavelength
Electromagnetic energy is transmitted in the form of a sinusoidal wave. The wavelength is the physical distance covered by...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically...
scanning electron microscope
An electron microscope that uses a beam of electrons -- accelerated to high energy and focused on the sample -- to scan the...
neuromorphic
Neuromorphic refers to the design and development of computing systems or devices that are inspired by the structure and...
minimum spot size
The smallest linear diameter to which a laser or other beam of radiant energy is capable of being focused, depending on the...
sensitometry
Primarily the measurement of photographic sensitivity of certain materials such as photographic film. It refers to the...
gamma ray
The spontaneous emittance of electromagnetic radiation by the nucleus of certain radioactive elements during their quantum...
solar cell
A device for converting sunlight into electrical energy, consisting of a sandwich of P-type and N-type semiconducting...
diathermic mirror
A mirror coated to reflect cold (white) light while transmitting hot (infrared) energy.
micro-LED
Micro-LED (micro-light-emitting diode) refers to a technology that involves the use of very small light-emitting diodes to...
infrared camera
An infrared camera, also known as a thermal imaging camera or IR camera, is a device that captures and visualizes the...
inverse bremsstrahlung
Collisional absorption of energy that occurs in inertial confinement fusion systems when hydrodynamic expansion of the...
ground state
Also known as ground level. The lowest energy level of an atom or atomic system. A material in the ground state is not...
silicon carbide light-emitting diodes
Silicon carbide (SiC) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are semiconductor devices that emit light when an electric current is...
bandgap
In semiconductor physics, the term bandgap refers to the energy range in a material where no electronic states are allowed....
excitation energy
The difference between the energy of an atom in its ground state and that of the same atom in its excited (quantum) state.
autoluminescence
The luminescence of a substance that is produced by energy within it (e.g., radioactive material).
transducer
A transducer is a device or component that converts one form of energy into another. It is commonly used in various fields,...
phonon
A phonon is a quantum of vibrational energy associated with the periodic motion of atoms or molecules in a crystalline...
radiant intensity
The radiant energy emitted within a time period per unit solid angle, usually measured in watts per steradian.
flux
Time rate of flow of energy; the radiant or luminous power in a beam.
inverse photoelectric effect
The changing of the kinetic energy of a mobile electron into radiant energy, as in formation of x-rays.
galvanoluminescence
The emission of radiant energy produced by the passage of an electrical current through an appropriate electrolyte in which...
reflector
A type of conducting surface or material used to reflect radiant energy.
GaAlAs laser
A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic...
cascade method
A heterochromatic photometric process using successive comparison of similar chromaticities and the calculation of relative...
molecular motor
A molecular motor refers to a nano-sized device composed of organic molecules or other small-scale components that can...
electronics
That branch of science involved in the study and utilization of the motion, emissions and behaviors of currents of...
graser
An acronym of gamma ray amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. It is a gamma ray laser that operates between...
beta-ray spectrometer
An instrument for the detection of the energy distribution of b-particles and secondary electrons.
cathode radiant sensitivity
Cathode radiant sensitivity refers to the ability of a photocathode to convert incident radiant energy, typically in the...
Mollier diagram
Graphic evaluation of the operation of a steam thermodynamic cycle of a solar energy system on which enthalpy is plotted...
Coulomb damping
Conversion of vibratory energy into heat that is observed in the rubbing of two dry surfaces over each other.
gas laser
One of the first lasers to find practical application. Generally, the pumping mechanism is an electric discharge, although...
second-harmonic generation microscopy
A nonlinear label-free imaging technique commonly used during surgical procedures for the visualization of collagen fibers...
laser annealing
Laser annealing is a process that involves using a laser beam to heat and modify the microstructure of a material, typically...
light-emitting diode
An LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs...
PIN photodiode
A PIN photodiode is a type of photodetector or semiconductor device used to convert light signals into electrical signals....
absorption band
A group of frequencies or wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum which exhibits resonance or energy contributions near...
beam converter
A device used to alter the shape of or energy distribution within a beam of radiation.
aberration sensor (wavefront sensor)
Designed for the function of optical wavefront analysis. Shack-Hartmann camera aberration sensors use a lens array to image...
epitaxial equipment
Epitaxial equipment refers to a set of specialized tools and systems used in the process of epitaxy, which is the growth of...
particle acceleration
Particle acceleration refers to the process by which charged particles, such as electrons or protons, gain kinetic energy...
null process
Commonly performed in spectroscopy, the optical null process is a method for radiation detection whereby physical detectors...
laser-mediated gene transfer
Laser-mediated gene transfer refers to a technique in molecular biology and genetic engineering that utilizes lasers to...
actinic
Stimulating light used for the production of energy through photosynthesis, solar cell or other light senstitive device.
Rydberg atom
The term "Rydberg atom" refers to an atom in a highly excited state where one or more of its electrons are in a Rydberg...
spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is a technique used in the study of interactions between matter and electromagnetic radiation. It involves...
thermal radiator
A source that emits radiant energy when its molecules or atoms are thermally excited.
flowmeter
A flowmeter is a device used to measure the flow rate or quantity of a fluid passing through a particular point in a system....
crystal counter
An instrument that is used to detect high-energy particles by the pulse of the current formed when a particle passes through...
spatial intensity perturbation
A beam instability, induced by index of refraction inhomogeneities and component damage of dirt and dust particles, that...
pumping radiation
Radiation used to excite an optical or laser material to a higher energy level. See optical pumping.
Bose-Einstein condensate
A Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is a state of matter that forms at temperatures close to absolute zero. It is named after...
eye-safe laser operation
Wavelengths between 400 and 1400 nm (VIS to NIR) are focused onto the retina by the cornea. Because the retina is sensitive...
synchrotron
A synchrotron is a type of particle accelerator that uses magnetic fields to steer charged particles, typically electrons or...
laser active elements
Laser active elements typically refers to the substances or materials within a laser system that play a critical role in the...
q-switched operation
Q-switched operation, or q-switching, is a technique used in lasers to produce short and intense pulses of light. The term...
laser
A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...
guided wave
A wave in which energy is focused near a boundary separating materials having different properties. Propagation of the wave...
photon
A quantum of electromagnetic energy of a single mode; i.e., a single wavelength, direction and polarization. As a unit of...
electroluminescent display
The utilization of the light produced when electrical energy is directly converted into light within devices used for visual...
energy-sharing laser
A laser that distributes its output power among two, three or four optical fibers simultaneously.
scintillation phosphor
A phosphor that has the ability to convert into light emission a portion of energy lost by ionization when a charged...
nonlinear scattering
Direct conversion of a photon from one wavelength to a lower energy photon of another wavelength(s) due to inelastic...
Zeeman effect
The splitting of energy levels of an atom, ion or molecule because of a magnetic field.
disc calorimeter
A device that provides simple and reliable laser power and energy measurement. Essentially a heat flux sensor producing an...
pair production
The production of a positron-electron pair by a photon having energy greater than one mega-electron-volt, whereby some of...
Franck-Condon principle
The principle that electronic energy transitions occur at such speeds that the nuclei of the atoms in the molecular system...
infrared image tube
An image converter that produces a visible image based on the infrared emittance of the object. The infrared energy is...
linear energy transfer
The transfer of energy lost by radiation to the body, relative to the loss of energy per unit of path traveled.
flow chemistry
Flow chemistry, also known as continuous-flow chemistry, is a chemical manufacturing process where reactions take place in a...
radioluminescence
Luminescence produced by the bombardment of radiant energy such as x-rays, radioactive waves or alpha particles.
four-level laser
A solid-state laser consisting of active atoms or ions of a transition metal, rare-earth metal or actinide, imbedded in a...
soliton
Any isolated wave that propagates without dispersion of energy. Specifically to photonics, an ultrashort pulse of laser...
population inversion
The condition in which there are more atomic systems in the upper of two energy levels than in the lower, so stimulated...
photomultiplier tube
A photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a highly sensitive vacuum tube that detects and amplifies low levels of light. It is widely...
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...
pumping band
A group of energy levels to which ions in the ground state are initially excited when pumping radiation is applied to a...
nonradiative transition
A nonradiative transition refers to a process in which an electron or an atom undergoes a change in its energy state without...
Stark effect
The splitting or shifting of spectral lines or energy levels caused by the application of a strong transverse electrical...
albedo
The ratio of radiant energy reflected from a rough surface to that incident on it. Usually, the radiant energy is total...
electrowetting display
An electrowetting display (EWD) is a type of electronic display technology that utilizes the principles of electrowetting to...
biophotonics
The technology that deals with the interaction of organic materials with light and other forms of radiant energy whose...
binary optics
Optical elements, often created by micromachining, lithography or vacuum deposition, that rely on diffraction of the...
beam profiler
A device that measures the spatial distribution of energy perpendicular to the propagation path of a radiant beam. An energy...
ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy
A technique for measuring the energy spectrum of electrons emitted during the absorption of ultraviolet radiation. This...
electrodeless discharge tube
A device consisting of an airtight quartz tube that holds the material to be analyzed. When a high-frequency electrostatic...
metabolic imaging
Metabolic imaging refers to the visualization and quantification of metabolic processes within living organisms, tissues, or...
actinic radiation
Electromagnetic energy that is capable of producing photochemical activity.
pulsed laser
A laser that emits energy in a series of short bursts or pulses and that remains inactive between each burst or pulse. The...
Poynting vector
In remote sensing technology, this represents the intensity of energy flow in the direction of wave propagation.
germanium crystal
Germanium crystal refers to a crystalline form of the element germanium (Ge), which is a metalloid and semiconductor...
harmonic generation
Harmonic generation refers to a nonlinear optical process in which incoming photons interact with a material and produce new...
3D laser line profile sensor
A 3D profile sensor, also known as a 3D profiling sensor or 3D depth sensor, is a technology that is used to capture and...
Q
The figure of merit of a resonator, defined as (2p) x (average energy stored in the resonator)/(energy dissipated per...
coherence length
That length over which energy in two separate waves remains constant. With respect to a laser, the greatest distance between...
Nd:YAG laser
Nd:YAG laser refers to a solid-state laser that utilizes neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:Y3Al5O12) as the gain...
kinetic cooling
An atmospheric nonlinear process unique to CO2 laser wavelengths, whereby CO2 absorbs 10.6-µm radiation and the CO2...
quantum dots
A quantum dot is a nanoscale semiconductor structure, typically composed of materials like cadmium selenide or indium...
mode coupling
In an optical waveguide, the exchange of power/energy among modes.
laser lithotripsy
Laser lithotripsy is a medical procedure that uses laser energy to break down or fragment stones in various parts of the...
photocathode luminous sensitivity
The responsivity of a photocathode to luminous energy equal to the ratio of the photoelectric emission to the incident...
Auger effect
The radiation-free transition that takes place within an ion, in which inner-shell vacancies in neutral atoms are filled by...
monoergic
Pertaining to radiation or particle emission, whereby the emission is produced with minimal energy spread.
einstein
A unit of energy equal to the amount of energy absorbed by one molecule of material undergoing a photochemical reaction, as...
flash spectroscopy
The study and interpretation of the spectra of substances after they have absorbed the radiant energy emitted by a brief,...
thermocouple
A device composed of dissimilar metals that, when welded together, develop a small voltage dependent upon the relative...
light filter
A homogeneous optical medium or coating that transmits only in particular regions of the spectrum. It is used to change or...
interference filter
A filter that controls the spectral composition of transmitted energy partially by the effects of interference. Frequently,...
sensitized fluorescence
The optical energy transfer between ions of differing atoms.
terminated crossbar
An optical matrix that does not require perfection in both states of the crosspoint, so that all the optical switches can be...
quantum efficiency
Quantum efficiency (QE) is a measure of the effectiveness with which a device or system, typically in the context of...
functional material
Functional materials refer to materials that possess specific properties or functionalities that make them suitable for...
photodynamic inactivation
Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is a therapeutic approach that utilizes the combination of light, a photosensitizer, and...
radiation
The emission and/or propagation of energy through space or through a medium in the form of either waves or corpuscular...
resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance, which is a phenomenon that occurs when an external force or...
photochemical
The term photochemical pertains to chemical processes or reactions that are initiated or influenced by the absorption of...
beamwidth
The angular width of a radiation beam. With respect to a conical beam of light, it is the vertex angle of the cone. The...
light quantum
The individual coherent series of lightwaves that defines a quantum of radiant energy. Light quantum is equal to hv, h being...
laser peening
Laser peening is a surface enhancement technique used to improve the mechanical properties of materials, particularly...
electron filter lens
An electrostatic device that uses an electric potential barrier to allow the transmittance of electrons at or above a set...
atomic absorption spectrometer
An atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) is an analytical instrument used to determine the concentration of specific chemical...
quantum optics
The area of optics in which quantum theory is used to describe light in discrete units or "quanta" of energy known as...
luminous energy
A measure of the time-integrated amount of flux. It has units of lumen-seconds and might be used to describe such things as...
fusion ignition
Fusion ignition refers to the point in a controlled nuclear fusion reaction where the energy released by the fusion...
fluorescence decay system
A device, also called a fluorescence lifetime instrument, that measures decay curves of fluorescing samples. It generally...
Förster resonance energy transfer
Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a mechanism describing the transfer of energy between two closely spaced...
metabolite
A metabolite is any small molecule that is a product of metabolism, the chemical processes that occur within living...
Fermi-Dirac function
The mathematical expression of the probability of any given state of energy being occupied when a semiconductor is in...
magnon
A magnon is a quasiparticle representing a quantized spin wave in a magnetic material. In other words, it is a collective...
two-photon fluorescence
This results from the simultaneous absorption of two photons, each having half the energy needed for excitation and...
tunneling
An observed effect of the ability of certain atomic particles to pass through a barrier that they cannot pass over because...
fatigue
The decrease of a component's efficiency, or a reduction in a material's light sensitivity, as the result of accumulated...
absorption peak
An absorption peak refers to a sharp increase or spike in the absorption of electromagnetic radiation at a particular...
excitation potential
The amount of energy required to raise the energy level of an atom; a necessity if the atom is to radiate energy. High...

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