Photonics Dictionary: B

Crystal growth method that resembles static freeze, but that induces growth by removing the ampoule from the furnace so that the freezing-point temperature gradient is unchanged during the growth...

The illumination generally used in microscopy, whereby the specimen appears dark against a light background.

An optical image having a brightly lit background.

An emission spectrum consisting of bright bands against a dark background.

Brightfield refers to a type of microscopy and imaging technique in which the specimen is illuminated with a white light source, and the image is observed or captured against a bright background. In...

The manual shifting bias control of a cathode-ray tube that determines both the average brightness and the contrast of a picture.

An instrument for measuring the brightness (luminance) of a scene. It may be a spot meter, covering an area of a degree or less, or an averaging meter, covering a broad area of the scene. Brightness...

The degree to which a pixel in a digital image represents the analog brightness of the corresponding point in the original image. It is dependent largely on the number of bits devoted to representing...

A graduated range of stimuli perceived as having equivalent differences of brightness.

Brillouin scattering is a phenomenon in physics where an incident electromagnetic wave (usually light) interacts with acoustic phonons (quantized lattice vibrations) in a material, resulting in the...

The final correction of a polished surface or of an angle to the specified precision.

Indicating a capability to deal with a relatively wide spectral bandwidth.

Broadband dielectric mirrors, also known as broadband mirrors, are optical coatings designed to efficiently reflect or transmit light over a broad range of wavelengths. These mirrors are constructed...

A broadband filter is an electronic or electromagnetic device designed to pass a range of frequencies or signals within a specified bandwidth while attenuating or rejecting signals outside of that...

Radiation that occurs perpendicular to the plane of the radiation device.

A chamfer or protective bevel.

An optical instrument designed to permit the visual examination of the interior of the bronchi.

The behavior of microscopic solid particles suspended in a fluid, first observed by botanist Robert Brown in 1827 as a continuous random motion.

A telemicroscope in which a negative eyepiece is used to produce erect images.

A large tank filled with liquid hydrogen, with a flat window at one end and complex optical devices for observing and photographing the rows of fine bubbles formed when a high-energy particle...

Specially designed optics for the observation and photographing of hydrogen in a bubble chamber.

The photographic recording of gas bubbles produced when particles traverse liquid hydrogen in a bubble chamber.

1. In fiber optics, a protective material applied as an optical fiber cover that has no optical function. 2. In image processing, a peripheral that stores data between two active processing stages.

A sound wave that travels through a piezoelectric material.

A device that functions throughout the continuous radiation of a linearly polarized plane wave, and whose nonreciprocity arises from the Faraday rotation of linearly polarized radiation.

The scattering of light within a medium.

A conical or cylindrical package of light rays emanating from a common point on the object.

A photometer screen that contains a diaphragm of paper or parchment with a translucent central spot of oil or paraffin.

The law stating that the amount of chemical change produced is proportional to the amount of light absorbed. Actually, the change is also dependent on the intensity of light -- a fact named the...

A surface imperfection caused by a polisher running dry too long. It occurs with felt or plastic polishers, and may appear as a reddish brown.

The operation of a laser diode or other component prior to its use in its intended application, as a means of testing and stabilizing it.

A detector's ability to sense an object on the opposite side of a thin but opaque barrier such as cardboard.

A convex lens that brings an incident bundle of rays to a focus to produce intense heat at the focus.

The process of lapping a thin edge of metal over the bevelled edge of a lens to maintain it within its cell.