Photonics Dictionary

A channel for communication with the source in an otherwise unidirectional network, such as a channel that provides interactive features in a cable television network.

Back-side illumination (BSI) is a technology used in imaging sensors, particularly in digital cameras, where the light is allowed to enter the sensor from the back side, opposite to where the...

A photovoltaic cell designed so that light travels through the front electrode and a semiconductor before it comes to the barrier layer.

The forming of a clear silhouette of an object by placing a light source behind it. Used in machine vision when surface features of an object are not important.

Backscatter refers to the phenomenon in which radiation or waves are scattered backward, opposite to the direction of the incident beam. This occurs when the incident radiation encounters a target or...

A backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor is an image sensor technology where the light-sensitive elements (typically pixels) are positioned on the opposite side of the sensor substrate from where light...

A light-harvesting protein found in the purple membrane of a micro-organism called Halobacterium halobium. The protein undergoes a photocycle that involves several binary photochemical reactions that...

A two-mirror corrector for a parabolic primary mirror that provides anastigmatic performance for large astronomical telescopes.

A ball lens is a small, spherical optical component typically made of glass or other transparent materials. It is characterized by its spherical shape, with both its front and back surfaces forming...

In a laser, the series resistance necessary for a stable electrical discharge.

Any instrument or system carried by a balloon to the upper atmosphere to measure and record atmospheric information, such as radiation observations, while reducing atmospheric interference.

In semiconductor physics, the term bandgap refers to the energy range in a material where no electronic states are allowed. It represents the energy difference between the valence band, which is the...

A filter with a transmission that is high for a particular band of frequencies, but that falls to low values above and below this band.

In fiber optics, the limitation on performance imposed by the system bandwidth rather than the amplitude of the signal.

An optical scanning device designed to read information printed in the form of bars of different size by detection and processing of the varying reflectivity of light in the barcode.

A relatively hard crystal, highly resistant to excessive energy radiation, that is frequently used for optical windows, prisms and lenses transmitting from the vacuum UV into the IR.

A negative lens used to increase the effective focal length of a telescope objective.

Bathymetric lidar is a remote sensing technique used to measure the depth of water bodies and map underwater terrain features. It employs lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) technology, which uses...

The scale for floating hydrometers used to measure the specific gravity of a polishing suspension. The depth of immersion is a linear function of the inverse of the density. The Baume scale is linear...

Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of superconductivity, based on the notion that electrons with opposite momentum and spin are paired as a result of forces arising from lattice vibrations. The theory...

A device, either visual or electronic, that emits signals to identify set positions for use in the navigation of aircraft and ships along flight paths and channels, or as a warning against entering a...

A system of optical components designed to increase the diameter of a radiation beam. Usually an afocal system.

1. A geometrical arrangement of two or more light beams for use in laser shows, object detection or other applications requiring arrayed multiple beams. 2. A mathematical 2 X 2 or 3 X 3 matrix for...

In computer graphics, the point on the display screen where the electron beam is located before the display instruction is executed. On directed beam display points, vectors and other graphic...

Beam profiling is a technique used to characterize and analyze the spatial intensity distribution of a laser beam. It involves measuring and visualizing how the optical power or intensity is...

A beam shaper is an optical device or system designed to modify the spatial profile or intensity distribution of a laser or light beam. The goal is to transform the incoming beam into a desired shape...

A set of mirrors mounted on solenoids to move them into and out of the path of a laser beam, making it possible for multiple workstations to alternate using the single laser source.

The application of reversible writing with a laser beam on particular storage materials. In one method, an amorphous film is heated and then crystallized for writing. Bubble writing involves the...

A beamsplitter is an optical device used to divide a beam of light into two or more separate beams, typically by reflecting a portion of the incident light while transmitting the remainder....

The signal formed when two signals, such as light waves, of different frequencies are present simultaneously in a nonlinear device. The frequency of the beat is equal to the difference in frequency...

A characteristic of optical fiber used to calculate the fiber's ability to maintain polarization. The beat length describes the length required for the polarization to rotate 360 degrees. For a given...

A band of light that appears along the outer edge of a transparent material under microscopic investigation and that moves toward higher refractive indices as the microscope's focus is raised, and...

A device used to compare the luminous intensities of two sources by locating a point between the two light sources where the produced flux densities are equal. The luminous intensities of the two...

Mathematical definition for the changes that occur between potential and kinetic energy. These formulas express wave motion.

A small convergent lens, located between the objective and eyepiece of a microscope, that focuses an image of the upper focal plane of the objective in the focal plane of the eyepiece. It is commonly...

Two formulas used in diffractometer analysis, the first giving the individual diffraction patterns of each aperture, the second representing the constant of the degree of an incoherent circular...

A facility selected by mutual agreement of the user and the prospective vendor to test a prototype before it is offered for sale.

An instrument for the detection of the energy distribution of b-particles and secondary electrons.

A double block formed by placing two adjoining, equally thick sections of quartz, one being dextrorotary, the other levorotary, over the analyzer of a polariscope. In this way, polarization tints may...

Degradation factor in coherent light systems where the amplitude of the recorded signal is decreased as the number of object points is increased, resulting in poor noise performance.

Mathematical compensation for the nonhydrogenic behavior of recombination radiation levels of gases, based on the quantum effect method.

Unified notation for specification of reflectance in terms of both incident- and reflected-beam geometry; i.e., the ratio of reflected radiance in direction toward the viewer to the irradiance in...

A branched fiber optic lightguide that performs both receiving and transmitting functions.

It is often necessary to estimate the value of what a pixel would be between neighboring pixels. This is accomplished by interpolating (or inserting) the value of a pixel between neighboring pixels....