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Meadowlark Optics - Wave Plates 6/24 MR 2024

8,726 terms

Photonics Dictionary

physical vapor deposition -> magnetron sputtering

A variation from standard physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating techniques, magnetron sputtering is a plasma coating process that utilizes magnetic fields to contain the plasma in front of the...

physiological optics

The study of visual perception by the sense of sight.

physisorption

A type of adsorption in which the adsorbed layer is attached to the adsorbent surface by an attractive force between the atoms or molecules rather than by a chemical bond (chemisorption).

PIC

photonic integrated circuit

pick-and-place

Pick-and-place refers to a process or technique used in manufacturing and assembly operations to automate the handling and positioning of components or objects. In a pick-and-place system, a robotic...

picking

The process whereby pitch is broken and the lenses or blanks are removed from the block.

pico (p)

In the SI system, prefix meaning 10-12.

picosecond continuum

A broadband, visible picosecond probe pulse capable of measuring an entire absorption spectrum in one shot.

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, such as the organic dye and ruby lasers. Picosecond pulses are used in the...

picosecond spectroscopy

A method of measuring complex sequential photosynthetic reactions by varying the pulse time and wavelength of light generated by a combination of argon-ion and dye lasers.

picture element -> pixel

A pixel, short for "picture element," is the smallest controllable element of a digital image or display. It is a fundamental unit that represents a single point in a raster image, which is a grid of...

picture monitor

A kinescope used to survey the details of television video transmission.

picture tube

A term referring to the cathode-ray tube used in television receivers.

PID

proportional integral derivative; pulse interference detector

PIE

photo-induced electrochromism

piecewise interferometry

An interferometric technique for the generation of precision gratings that allows for sequential exposure of small segments in the writing of a large grating, allowing increased intensity that...

piezo worm

A piezoelectric translator that moves up and down a spindle like a caterpillar. It clamps itself at one end, expands, clamps the other end, releases the first end, and then contracts and begins the...

piezo-optical transducer

A structure consisting of a thin film of liquid crystal sandwiched between light-polarizing filters that have received a surface lubricant. Depending on motion, the transducer acts as a highly...

piezoelectric axis

With respect to a crystal, one of the paths or axes that will exhibit a piezoelectric charge when subject to tension or compression.

piezoelectric crystal

A crystal consisting of a substance that has the ability to become electrically polarized and has strong piezoelectric properties. It is cut so as to emphasize the coupling to some distinct...

piezoelectric motion systems

Piezoelectric motion systems are mechanical systems that utilize piezoelectric materials to generate controlled motion or displacement. Piezoelectric materials exhibit the piezoelectric effect, which...

piezoelectric transducers and ceramic materials

Piezoelectric transducers are devices that utilize the piezoelectric effect to convert electrical energy into mechanical vibrations or vice versa. The piezoelectric effect is a property exhibited by...

piezoelectric

Piezoelectricity is a property exhibited by certain materials in which they generate an electric charge in response to mechanical stress or deformation, and conversely, undergo mechanical deformation...

piezoresistance

Piezoresistance is a phenomenon in materials science and physics where the electrical resistance of a material changes in response to applied mechanical stress or strain. This change in resistance...

pigtail

A short length of optical fiber permanently fixed to a component and used to couple power between it and the transmission fiber.

PIL

picosecond injection laser

PIM

pulse intensity modulation; pulse interval modulation

PIN

positive-intrinsic-negative

PIN photodiode

A PIN photodiode is a type of photodetector or semiconductor device used to convert light signals into electrical signals. The name "PIN" is derived from the arrangement of the three semiconductor...

pincushion distortion

An aberration of a lens system caused by an increase in lens focal length as the field angle increases. The amount of distortion normally increases as the cube of the image height.

pinhole camera

A lensless photographic camera that uses a small sharp-edged hole as its aperture. The light passed by this aperture onto the camera's film plane produces a soft-edged image that has a wide field of...

pinhole eyepiece

A type of eyepiece, or the modification of an eyepiece, in which a small hole, without a lens, functions as the eye lens; used in the adjustment and alignment of microscopes.

pink noise -> flicker noise

Any noise with a power spectral density that is the inverse of the signal's frequency and is therefore most significant for low-frequency signals. It can be expressed as 1/f and is therefore also...

pipeline

In image processing and elsewhere, generally an adjective to describe an assembly-line arrangement for performing a task. For example, an image is put through one kind of processing step and then...

PIPO

power in/power out

Pirani gauge

A vacuum gauge designed to measure very high degrees of vacuum by thermal conduction.

PIRT

precision infrared triangulation

pistoning

Motion of a fiber into and out of the ferrule. This effect is often caused by changes in temperature.

pit

The micrometer-size depressions that store data digitally in an optical data storage medium.

pitch polishing compound

Pitch for polishing mixed with other materials to give it the right viscosity so that it will follow the fine-ground lens surface and yet maintain contact at all times.

pitch

In positioning, rotation about an axis normal to the line of sight. Also known as attitude.

PIV

particle imaging velocimetry

PIXE

particle-induced x-ray emission

pixel binning

Pixel binning, also known as pixel merging or pixel combining, is a technique used in digital imaging and camera technology. It involves the combining or grouping of adjacent pixels on an image...

pixel group processing

In digital image processing, a subcategory of frame processing that treats each pixel in terms of its relationship to adjacent pixels. Perceived brightness trends facilitate spatial filtering.

pixel pitch

Pixel pitch refers to the distance between the centers of two adjacent pixels on a display screen or imaging sensor. It is typically measured in millimeters and is a crucial specification in...

pixel

photoluminescence

planar access coupler

Low-insertion-loss fiber coupler fabricated from a sheet of light-sensitive material laminated onto a fused quartz substrate and exposed through a suitable mask. After development of the plastic...

planar magnetron

A device used in the sputtering of thin films, in which a magnet system on the back of the cathode deflects the electrons, lengthening the ionization path. The accelerated ions transfer their...

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