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Imaging Dictionary Terms

evaporagraph
A sensor generally used for infrared imaging. It consists of two chambers separated by a thin, blackened membrane. An...
mutual coherent function (MCF)
A function that quantifies the performance degradation of coherent communications systems, imaging systems and all systems...
aberration
A departure from ideal paraxial imaging behavior. The distortion of an optical field wavefront as it is propagated through...
active infrared system
imaging system which clearly shows the IR signals in the field of view as well as ambient environment
hyperspectral imaging
Methods for identifying and mapping materials through spectroscopic remote sensing. Also called imaging spectroscopy;...
liquid crystal eyewear
A wireless stereo imaging device used in conjunction with a monitor to produce a virtual interactive environment. Liquid...
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...
negative-refraction metamaterial
An artificial material, engineered to have a negative refractive index value, such that light or any other form of...
second-harmonic generation microscopy
A nonlinear label-free imaging technique commonly used during surgical procedures for the visualization of collagen fibers...
otoscope
A light-conducting and imaging system used to inspect the inner ear.
high-content screening
Also known as HCS, an analytical method designed to collect statistically relevant amounts of quantitative data on many...
cosine fourth law
A formula indicating that, for an imaging lens system, the image brightness for off-axis points will fall off at a rate...
dark frame
A frame taken to identify electronic noise in a CCD imaging device. A dark frame is recorded without exposing the CCD to any...
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
An imaging technique used in radiology that is based on the principles of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to produce...
microenvironmental control system
Equipment that supports microscopic live-cell imaging by managing the gas, media perfusion, temperature and other factors to...
focal plane array (FPA)
A linear or two-dimensional matrix of individual detector elements, typically used at the focus of an imaging system.
high-voltage electron microscope (HVEM)
An imaging device whose technology contributes three specific advantages: ability to study large solid specimens that...
white balance
A feature of some imaging devices, such as digital cameras, that allows them to compensate for different lighting conditions...
moving aperture technique
Method for reducing laser speckle in which the object field comes from a real diffuse object or the reconstructed object...
binary thresholding
An imaging technique that labels all gray pixels as either black or white before processing begins.
false color
In imaging technology, assigning color to black and white images to differentiate features or convey information. Also...
scanning tunneling microscope (STM)
A high-resolution imaging instrument that can detect and measure the positions of individual atoms on the surface of a...
differential interference contrast microscopy
Differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, sometimes called Nomarski Microscopy after the inventor Georges...
Zernike's phase contrast method
The introduction of a filter into an imaging system to implement a phase contrast for an intensity mapping of a pure phase...
single-walled carbon nanotubes
Referred to as SWCNTs, these cylindrical nanostructures composed of a folded sheet of graphene can be used as near-infrared...
solid-state imaging system
An imaging system that uses a mosaic of tiny light-sensitive semiconductors (phototransistors) to produce individual outputs...
epifluorescence microscopy
Fluorescence imaging technique in which the excitation light from the objective is directed into the sample producing...
depth of field
The distance, on either side of the object plane focused on, through which satisfactory image definition can be obtained....
synthetic interferometric image
An imaging technique in which an object moving through an interference field formed in space scatters light and is spatially...
visually coupled airborne systems simulator (VCASS)
A visual system including a tiny television tube and imaging optics, all contained in a helmet to be worn by pilots in...
imaging science
The science of producing, recording, storing, transmitting and displaying visual images by any system (photographic, video,...
gravitational imaging
A process used to detect minute gravitational fields and to display images from objects by means of radiated gravitational...
holographic particle velocimetry (HPV)
A method of measuring flow velocity by seeding the flow with neutrally buoyant particles and using a pulsed laser to...
antiblooming gate (ABG)
A device that prevents electrons from a saturated pixel in a CCD imaging device from spilling into an adjacent pixel. The...
two-photon excited fluorescence
Two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) is a nonlinear optical method that allows imaging of biological cells and living...
speckle imaging
A technique for obtaining improved resolution of images produced by large telescopes and distorted by the effects of...
narrow-angle dark-field illumination
An imaging system designed to highlight small deviations in a planar reflective object such as a mirror. The system can be...
novelty filter
A filtering device that detects what is new in a scene of interest. Often compared to that of a temporal high pass filter,...
single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
A medical imaging method in which gamma camera heads rotate about the patient to detect radionuclides, enabling physicians...
range axis
The third dimension (depth or Z-axis) in an imaging system.
charge-coupled device (CCD)
A self-scanning semiconductor imaging device that utilizes MOS (metal-oxide semiconductor) technology, surface storage and...
multianode microchannel array detector
A photon-counting instrument for use in both space-borne and ground-based photometric and spectroscopic instrumentation....
instantaneous field of view (IFOV)
A measurement of a sensor's intrinsic field of view, as distinct from what the sensor can perceive when scanning motion is...
triangulation
A method of measuring distance by recording a single scene from two points of perspective. Surveying instruments can be...
contrast filter
A filter designed to improve contrast in an imaging system. For visual and black and white photosystems, a yellow filter is...
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
A phenomenon, exploited for medical imaging, in which the nuclei of material placed in a strong magnetic field will absorb...
stereoplotting
The imaging of two photographs of a stereo pair, in complementary colors, for the preparation of contour maps.
flatbed scanner
An imaging device analogous to a drum scanner, but operating at greater speeds; it uses a row of sensors to traverse an...
uniformly redundant array (URA)
Array used in coded-aperture imaging experiments with two-beam CO2 lasers that provide an artifact-free process, faithful...
positron emission tomography (PET)
A medical imaging device that uses a ring of crystal/photomultiplier tube assemblies encircling the patient to detect gamma...
thermomagnetic imaging
The production of an image on a magnetic film that is exposed to infrared radiation and heated to a point above Curie...
electrostatic image dissector
A nonmagnetic instrument utilizing an electrofocus and deflection tube with a photocathode for imaging purposes. The optical...
scanning acoustic microscope (SAM)
Also called scanning laser acoustic microscope. A device that uses high-frequency ultrasound waves to penetrate surfaces. A...
minimum resolvable temperature (MRT)
In a thermal imaging system, the smallest change in blackbody equivalent temperature that can be detected clearly by the...
spatial resolution
In a vision system, the linear dimensions (X and Y) of the field of view, as measured in the image plane, divided by the...
ultrasonic imaging
The formation and display of three-dimensional images by ultrasonic energy. In one technique, the energy pulses from an...
Volumetric Imaging
A technique to capture a 3D volume of activity in a single 2D image. This contrasts with conventional imaging techniques...
photoconductive antenna
Photoconductive antenna (PCA) is a semiconductor element that generates or detects high-frequency electromagnetic signals....
optical coherence tomography angiography
Also known as OCT-A, optical coherence tomography angiography is an imaging technique that uses light waves to measure...
alpha
In computer imaging, a value representing opacity.
saccadic motion
The movement of the eye as it focuses on details of a scene. Some imaging systems mimic this movement by small, rapid...
charge-injection device (CID)
A solid-state imaging device utilizing an image sensor composed of a two-dimensional array of coupled MOS (metal-oxide...
nanostructured glass
A unique glass made up of nano-structured materials to create millimeter sized monolithic glass space-variant polarization...
raster image processor
In imaging technology, a device that converts raster or line-scan data to pixel form for further processing.
forward-looking infrared (FLIR)
A night-vision device that uses one or more infrared transducers to scan a scene in the 3- to 5-µm or 8- to 12-µm...
multimodality imaging
A technique that combines two or more imaging processes in order to minimize the disadvantages within each of the...
aperture imaging
The formation of an image by a pinhole aperture that transmits radiation, such as gamma radiation.
Geometrical optics
The area of optics in which the propagation of light is described by geometrical lines (or rays) governed by Fermat's...
periscope
An optical instrument designed to displace the line of sight in a vertical direction. For submarines and other military uses...
target
1. The anode or anticathode of an x-ray tube that emits x-rays when bombarded by electrons. 2. The screen in a television...
infrared automatic mass screening (IRAMS)
A thermal infrared imaging procedure developed for quality control of printed circuit boards. The thermogram of each board...
integration time
In an imaging device, the length of time during which the sensing elements are collecting charge between transfers to the...
clipping
A defect in an optical system that prevents rays from reaching their intended destination; it can be caused by an undersized...
Multispectral Imaging
Multispectral Imaging: Creation of an image where each pixel contains more than three spectral data points, typically four...
parallel scanning
In imaging systems, a line of detectors the full length of the object space that scans the full width of the image in one...
Debye-Sears ultrasonic cell
A device used in ultrasonic imaging to measure the velocity and attenuation of compressional waves in a transparent liquid...
photoacoustic imaging
Abbreviated PAI. An imaging modality with a hybrid technique based on the acoustic detection of optical absorption from...
Knife-Edge Scanning Microscope
Knife-Edge Scanning Microscope (KESM): An imaging device originally created to image whole mouse brain volumes at...
run length coding
A digital imaging method whereby the first gray level of each sequential point-by-point sample and its position in the...
aerial camera
Camera designed for the imaging of the earth's surface in order to obtain high quality aerial images
video scan converter
A device that changes the number of lines per frame of a video image to adapt to a lower resolution format, either by...
pseudohologram
Coded image obtained optically with a nonredundant pinhole array imaging aperture.
emissivity correction matrix
A computer-generated routine for achieving true-temperature readings in thermal infrared imaging systems.
image comparison
A method used in imaging to detect subtle differences between two apparently similar pictures. It can be achieved by...
thermal imaging
The process of producing a visible two-dimensional image of a scene that is dependent on differences in thermal or infrared...
stereolithography
A method of creating real three-dimensional models by using lasers driven by CAD software. In contrast to the normal...
image photocounting distribution (IPD)
Photon flow created by imaging of light into a detector array; IPD is the electrical signal used by the image processor in a...
run end coding
A digital imaging method whereby the first gray level in the ordered sequence and the position of the first lengths of all...
Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine
Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) is an international standard for medical imaging created by both the...
focal plane assembly (FPA)
An infrared imaging device composed of a detector array and readout electronics. It may include a cryogenic cooling system....
radioactive tracer
A radioactive element that is placed or injected into a system to obtain an autoradiogram of the system. It is used in a...
infrared microscope
A type of microscope that uses radiation in the infrared region to illuminate objects that are opaque to visible radiation....
noise equivalent delta temperature (NEDT)
In a thermal imaging system, the change in temperature that yields a signal-to-noise ratio of unity.
Doppler-spread imaging
An imaging process, similar to specific Doppler mapping radar techniques, that utilizes a laser, an optical imaging system,...
femtosecond laser
A type of ultrafast laser that creates a minimal amount of heat-affected zones by having a pulse duration below the...
Polarization Imaging
A subsurface imaging technique based upon the polarization of light reflected off an object. The polarization of reflected...
parallel processing
In imaging, the processing of pixel data in such a way that a group of pixels is analyzed at one time rather than one pixel...
catadioptric imaging system
A system that uses both reflection and refraction to achieve its focal power. While the relative powers of the lenses and...
data cube
A multidimensional array of values that is commonly used in programming to describe a time series of image data. Each...
point light source
1. With respect to angular subtense, a source of light, such as a star, that is very small. In a lab, a point source may be...
electro-optic Fabry-Perot spectroscopy
The spectroscopic analysis of interference patterns using an electronic imaging tube with a Fabry-Perot interferometer to...
coded aperture imaging
An imaging process in which the single opening of a simple pinhole camera is replaced with many openings called,...
synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
Imaging radar that increases the sweep of its along-track (or azimuth) capacity by measuring not only the time delay of the...
standard thermal profile (STP)
In infrared imaging systems used for mass screening of printed circuit boards or other quality control applications, an...
Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy (LSFM)
Also known as single plane illumination microscopy (SPIM), this process was designed for imaging of sensitive samples and...
pulse video thermography (PVT)
A noncontact, nondestructive method of measuring defects in thin composite materials, using a xenon flashtube to generate...
optical coherence tomography (OCT)
A noninvasive (typically medical) optical imaging acquisition technique that uses light waves to form distinct, three...
transparent electrophotographic (TEP) films
Imaging materials that generally consist of a polyester base, a transparent electrically conductive layer and an organic...
image intensifier
An electro-optic device consisting of an electronic tube equipped with a light-sensitive electron emitter at one end, and a...
laser guide star
An artificial star used to aid in adaptive optics imaging of the sky. The guide star is provided from a telescope system on...
digital radiography (DR)
Medical diagnostic (x-ray) imaging using laser printers to produce high-resolution digital hard copy instead of film exposed...
spectrograph
An optical instrument for forming the spectrum of a light source and recording it on a film. The dispersing medium may be a...

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