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Lasers Dictionary Terms

lattice
In photonics, a lattice refers to a periodic arrangement of optical elements or structures, often on a microscopic or nanoscopic scale. These optical lattices can be created using various techniques such as lithography, etching, or deposition...
optical table
An optical table, also known as an optical bench or an optical breadboard, is a specialized platform used in optics...
microscopy
Microscopy is a scientific technique that involves the use of microscopes to observe and study objects that are too small to...
scintillation
1. The variation in intensity of a light beam as it travels through the atmosphere. 2. In radiation physics, a light flash...
flow cytometry
Flow cytometry is a powerful technique used in biology and medicine for the quantitative analysis of the physical and...
indium
Metal used in components of the crystalline semiconductor alloys indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), indium gallium arsenide...
laser-mediated gene transfer
Laser-mediated gene transfer refers to a technique in molecular biology and genetic engineering that utilizes lasers to...
double-clad fiber
Double-clad fiber (DCF) is a specialized optical fiber that features two concentric cladding layers surrounding a core. The...
photonic integrated circuit
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a compact and integrated device that incorporates multiple photonic components and...
Er:YAG laser
An Er:YAG laser is a type of solid-state laser that uses a crystal made of erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet...
laserstrobe
A stroboscopelike apparatus that uses a copper vapor laser to illuminate an object for very short time periods (about 30 ns).
stibine gas
The purest gas source of antimony, which is used in the manufacture of compound semiconductors for IR sensors and...
optoacoustic
Optoacoustic, or photoacoustic, refers to a phenomenon and related techniques that involve the generation of acoustic waves...
transversely excited atmosphere carbon dioxide laser
Abbreviated TEA CO2 laser. A gas laser that provides shorter pulses and higher peak powers than conventional CO2 lasers. The...
mode hopping
Mode hopping in the context of lasers refers to a phenomenon where a laser system abruptly switches from one longitudinal...
medical lasers
Medical lasers are devices that produce intense beams of light with specific characteristics and properties, which are used...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically...
picosecond spectroscopy
A method of measuring complex sequential photosynthetic reactions by varying the pulse time and wavelength of light...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
cold atom
Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to...
photonic computer
A type of computer in which the electronic circuits, which process data serially, are replaced by photonic circuits capable...
photobiomodulation
A light therapy that utilizes nonionizing light sources, including lasers, LEDs, and broadband light, in the visible and...
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...
laser peening
Laser peening is a surface enhancement technique used to improve the mechanical properties of materials, particularly...
vanadate laser
Lasers based on neodymium-doped yttrium or gadolinium vanadate crystals. These include yttrium vanadate (Nd:YVO4),...
distributed feedback laser
A distributed feedback laser (DFB laser) is a type of semiconductor laser diode designed to emit coherent, narrow-bandwidth...
laser spectroscopy
That part of the science involved in the study of the theory and interpretation of spectra that uses the unique...
optical coatings
Optical coatings are thin layers of materials applied to optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, filters, and prisms,...
free-space optics
Free-space optics (FSO), also known as optical wireless communication or optical wireless networking, refers to the...
frequency comb
A frequency comb is a precise and regular series of equally spaced spectral lines, or frequencies, that are generated with...
laser marking
Laser marking is a process in which a laser beam is used to mark or engrave a surface by altering its properties or...
quantum cascade laser
A quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics....
embedded laser
The term "embedded laser" typically refers to a laser device that is integrated or embedded into a larger system or...
diffraction grating
A diffraction grating is an optical component consisting of a surface with a periodic structure of equally spaced, parallel...
pyroelectric infrared detector
Unlike the thermocouple or bolometer, the pyroelectric infrared detector is a current source with an output proportional to...
dye laser
A laser using a dye solution as its active medium. Its output is a short pulse of broad spectral content and its achievable...
picosecond pulse
A pulse having extremely short duration, about 10-13 to 10-10 s, that is produced by mode locking of wide-bandwidth lasers,...
spectral flow cytometry
Spectral flow cytometry is an advanced flow cytometry technique that expands the capabilities of traditional flow cytometry...
dBm
Decibels referenced to one milliwatt; often used to specify power ratings for semiconductor diode lasers.
confocal resonator
A confocal resonator, also known as a confocal cavity or confocal laser resonator, is a type of optical resonator...
GaAIAs laser
A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic...
excitation
1. The process by which an atom acquires energy sufficient to raise it to a quantum state higher than its ground state. 2....
laser active elements
Laser active elements typically refers to the substances or materials within a laser system that play a critical role in the...
frequency summing
A technique used in holography that involves the mixing of lasers of different wavelengths to produce a beam of shorter...
gain-switching
Gain-switching is a technique used in lasers to generate short pulses of light by modulating the gain of the laser medium....
directed energy
Directed energy refers to a type of energy that is emitted and transferred in a controlled direction. The term is often...
gas laser
One of the first lasers to find practical application. Generally, the pumping mechanism is an electric discharge, although...
ultrafast laser
An ultrafast laser is a type of laser that emits extremely short pulses of light with durations typically on the order of...
III-V material
In semiconductor physics and materials science, the term "III-V materials" refers to compounds composed of elements from...
fiber laser
A fiber laser is a type of laser in which the active gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare-earth ions such as...
axial gradient technology
A method of designing lasers whereby the laser rod is cut into elliptical discs and cooled by running water over the disc...
recombination radiation
The radiation emitted in semiconductors when electrons in the conduction band recombine with holes in the valence band. If...
gallium aluminum arsenide
A crystalline semiconductor alloy used as the light confinement layer in both single- and double-heterostructure diode...
nanopositioning
Nanopositioning refers to the precise and controlled movement or manipulation of objects or components at the nanometer...
laser
A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...
laser damage threshold
The laser damage threshold refers to the maximum level of laser intensity that a material can withstand without experiencing...
laser output
The laser output refers to the generated and emitted light produced by a laser system. This output is characterized by...
GaN distributed feedback lasers
GaN (Gallium Nitride) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers refer to a specific type of semiconductor laser based on Gallium...
whispering gallery mode
Whispering gallery mode (WGM) refers to a phenomenon in wave physics, particularly in optics, where waves, such as light or...
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...
pulsed-dye laser
A laser with a gain medium consisting of an organic dye, which is carbon-based. The dye is mixed with a solvent, allowing...
transverse mode
In the context of optics and lasers, a transverse mode refers to a specific spatial pattern of the electric field within the...
photonic cavity
A photonic cavity, also known as an optical cavity, is a structure that confines electromagnetic radiation within a certain...
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...
color center laser
Certain color centers in the alkali halides have been optically pumped to produce efficient tunable pulsed and...
neodymium glass
Glass containing small quantities of neodymium oxide that is used as a filter plate in color television or as a lasing...
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter...
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...
rare earth dopants
Rare earth dopants refer to elements from the lanthanide series, also known as rare earth elements, that are intentionally...
Brewster angle window
A parallel plate of glass in such a position that the refracted and reflected rays of incident parallel light are mutually...
uniformly redundant array
Array used in coded-aperture imaging experiments with two-beam CO2 lasers that provide an artifact-free process, faithful...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
temporal coherence
A characteristic of laser output, calculated by dividing the speed of light by the linewidth of the laser beam. The temporal...
swept-source laser
A swept-source laser, also known as a wavelength-swept laser, is a type of laser that rapidly and continuously changes its...
excimer laser
An excimer laser is a type of ultraviolet laser that emits short pulses of light in the ultraviolet spectrum. The term...
light source
The generic term applied to all sources of visible radiation from burning matter to ionized vapors and lasers, regardless of...
isolator
In the context of electronics and optics, an isolator refers to a device that allows the transmission of signals in one...
fusion ignition
Fusion ignition refers to the point in a controlled nuclear fusion reaction where the energy released by the fusion...
mode-locked lasers
Mode-locking is a technique used in lasers to produce ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of picoseconds,...
mode beating
In optics, "mode beating" refers to an interference phenomenon that can occur in laser systems with multiple longitudinal...
divergence
1. In optics, the bending of rays away from each other. 2. In lasers, the spreading of a laser beam with increased distance...
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The...
Fabry-Perot laser
A laser oscillator in which two mirrors are separated by an amplifying medium with an inverted population, making a...
integram
A reflection hologram using multiple color lasers that integrates various graphical techniques to allow the display of...
pyroelectric pulse detector
A current-source thermal detector used to detect and study the pulses obtained from particular lasers.
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...
blue diode laser
A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...
laser trimming
The use of lasers in tailoring of such components as thin-film resistors. The process improves speed and accuracy.
xenon flashtube
A high-intensity source of incoherent white light in which a capacitor is discharged through a tube of xenon gas; often used...
pulse compression
A means of achieving higher peak powers and more efficient harmonic generation by narrowing the pulse width and thus...
laser controlled area
Area in which laser operation occurs and therefore safety requirements are met and regulations are implemented. Lasers...
beam shaper
A beam shaper is an optical device or system designed to modify the spatial profile or intensity distribution of a laser or...
scribing
The process of perforating a silicon or ceramic substrate with a series of tiny holes along which it will break. Nd:YAG or...
metal vapor laser
Devices in which the lasing medium is a vapor of metal atoms or ions, sometimes mixed with another gas. Metal vapor lasers...
photodynamic therapy
A medical technology that uses lasers or other light sources in combination with photosensitizing drugs to treat cancerous...
photoconductive antenna
Photoconductive antenna (PCA) is a semiconductor element that generates or detects high-frequency electromagnetic signals....
diode laser
A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light....
distributed Bragg reflector
A device similar to distributed feedback lasers in construction and operation, but in which the period grating that produces...
nanophotonics
Nanophotonics is a branch of science and technology that explores the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, typically at...
resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance, which is a phenomenon that occurs when an external force or...
gallium arsenide phosphide
Gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) is a semiconductor alloy composed of gallium (Ga), arsenic (As), and phosphorus (P). It...
aversion response
Eye blink or head movement in response to bright light. Aversion responses such as blinking are sufficient protection from...
laser drift
Laser drift typically refers to a phenomenon where the frequency or wavelength of a laser source gradually changes over...
impurity level
In the context of optical materials, the term "impurity level" refers to the presence of foreign atoms or molecules within...
free-electron laser
A free-electron laser (FEL) is a type of laser that generates coherent, high-intensity electromagnetic radiation by using a...
Fabry-Perot cavity
An optical resonator in which feedback is accomplished by two parallel planes. In diode lasers, the planes are obtained by...
tissue optics
The study of the optical properties of living tissue. Increased understanding of the behavior of light in this varied,...
optical nonlinearity
The phenomenon that makes nonlinear the mathematical expression for the electrical polarization of a medium through which...
etalon
An etalon is an optical device that consists of two parallel reflecting surfaces separated by a precise and known distance....
multiple laser sequence
Also known as gatling gun laser. A system that has an array of lasers sharing a common central axis on a rotating Fabry...
quantum well
A quantum well is a structure in quantum mechanics that confines particles, such as electrons or holes, in one spatial...
integrated photonics
Integrated photonics is a field of study and technology that involves the integration of optical components, such as lasers,...
stereolithography
A method of creating real three-dimensional models by using lasers driven by CAD software. In contrast to the normal...
holmium laser
Holmium lasers are a type of medical laser that utilizes holmium-doped crystals as the gain medium. The term holmium laser...
repetitively pulsed laser
A pulsed laser that emits a recurring pulsed output. Frequency of the pulses emitted is known as pulsed recurrence frequency...
alexandrite lasers
An alexandrite laser is a solid-state laser that utilizes a synthetic crystal made from the rare earth element alexandrite...
gallium antimonide
A binary semiconductor compound used as a substrate or active layer for diode lasers.
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...
femtosecond laser
A femtosecond laser is a type of laser that emits ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of femtoseconds,...
nonlinear optics
Nonlinear optics is a branch of optics that studies the optical phenomena that occur when intense light interacts with a...
mode sweeping
A form of laser output noise that is caused by thermal, mechanical, or acoustical disturbances of the cavity length. Mode...
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,...
injection locking
The use of two lasers as a master-slave pair in order to control frequency and prevent chirp. When light from the master is...
isotopically selected laser spectroscopy
A spectroscopic technique in which an excitation band absorbs laser energy resulting in an electronic transition. The...
time-averaged holography
Although low in sensitivity (approximately 10-7 m for helium-neon lasers), this holographic technique permits quantitative...
Fresnel number
In a lens, the square of the radius of its aperture divided by the product of the focal length and the wavelength. It...
inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a method of achieving nuclear fusion, a process where two atomic nuclei combine to...

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