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Photonics Dictionary

pleochroism

The property exhibited by certain birefringent crystals in which the degree with which they transmit polarized light is different, depending on whether the ray is ordinary or extraordinary. An...

PLIF

planar laser-induced fluorescence

PLL

phase-locked loop

PLU

programmable logic unit

pluggable optics

Pluggable optics, also known as pluggable transceivers or optical transceivers, are modular devices used in optical communication systems to transmit and receive data over optical fibers. They are...

Plumbicon

Philips trade name for a lead oxide low-light-level vidicon tube.

plume

A mixture of ionized gas and metal vapor generated by impingement of the laser beam onto a material being welded or a weld joint. The plume causes absorption and/or scattering of the incident laser...

PLZT

A transparent lead-lanthanum zirconate titanate ceramic with optical qualities that can be controlled by applying voltages to thin plates of the material.

PLZT

lead lanthanum-modified zirconium titanate

picometer

polarization modulation; phase modulation; photomultiplier

PM-LCD

passive-matrix liquid crystal display

PMC

programmable motion controller

PMD

physical media-dependent; polarization mode dispersion

PMDC

polarization mode dispersion compensator

PMF

polarization-maintaining fiber

PMMA

polymethyl methacrylate

PMOLED

passive-matrix organic light-emitting diode

PMR

phase-modulating receptacle

PMT

photomultiplier tube

PN junction

The transition boundary between P-type and N-type materials in a semiconductor.

PN-junction luminescence

Discharge that results when a doped semiconductor crystal with a PN junction is charged with a low-voltage direct current. The dual process depends on excitation caused by electrical energy...

pneumatic detector

A device used to detect radiant energy by means of the thermal expansion of gas.

power oscillator

Pockels

In optics, the Pockels effect refers to the phenomenon where the refractive index of a material changes in response to an applied electric field. This effect is utilized in Pockels cells, which are...

Pockels cell

A Pockels cell, also known as an electro-optic modulator, is an optical device used to control the polarization of light by applying an electric field. It is named after the physicist Friedrich Carl...

POF

plastic optical fiber

Poincaré sphere

A reference sphere used to represent all possible states of polarization. All linear polarizations will lie on the equator and circular polarizations will correspond with the poles. Named for the...

point cloud

A point cloud is a set of data points in a three-dimensional coordinate system, where each point represents a specific location in space. These points are typically obtained through various sensing...

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 simulated by imaging a large source onto and through a pinhole, or by...

point of fixation

An established point on which the observer's eye is focused.

point processing

In digital image processing, a subcategory of frame processing that transforms pixel brightness and contrast through use of a mapping function. Point processing can be single-image (simple contrast...

point source -> 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 simulated by imaging a large source onto and through a pinhole, or by...

point source lamp

A lamp, usually incandescent, that has a very compact filament, permitting a greater concentration of emitted light, aided by the use of small apertures and appropriate reflectors.

point spread function

The point spread function (PSF) is a fundamental concept in imaging that describes the response of an imaging system to a point source or point object. It characterizes how a single point of light is...

point-contact crystal diode

A crystal diode whose rectifying activity is determined by the touching of the crystal to a finely pointed wire surrounded by a material of opposite type.

point-focusing collector

A device used in solar systems to direct mirror-reflected sunlight to a heat absorber and heat-driven engine, which turns a generator to produce electricity.

point-probing scanning optical microscope

point-projection x-ray microscopy

A method of producing magnified images by x-rays. The specimen is placed close to a point source of x-rays; the magnification achieved is the ratio of source-image to source-object distance....

pointer eyepiece

A Huygenian eyepiece containing a pointer at its focal plane that is used -- when viewing an object through the eyepiece -- for specific designation.

pointing interferometer

A device attached to the end of an alignment telescope that detects and calculates a plane mirror's rotation axis that is perpendicular to the line of sight. The device is adaptable for evaluation of...

points per profile

Points per profile in imaging refers to the density or resolution of data points sampled along a line or profile within an image. It indicates the number of pixels or measurement points captured...

Poisson shot noise

A stationary noise that occurs for visible light photodetection when a steady light source, such as a heterodyne reference beam or high background light, dominates the signal.

Poisson spot -> Arago spot

A bright spot or point, due to Fresnel diffraction, that appears at the center of the shadow of a circular object in light originating from a point source. Also referred to as a Fresnel spot or...

polar

Depicting one of the two ends of an axis of rotation.

polarimeter

A polariscope with a half-shade device and an angular scale generally attached to the analyzer. It is used to measure the rotation of the plane of polarization by materials placed within it. A...

polarimetric analysis

The determination of a substance's identity or quantity through the analysis of its optical rotation. For example, the examination of crystals and polymers under polarized infrared radiation is very...

polarimetry

The measurement of the rotation of the plane of polarization of radiant energy, usually through the use of a polarimeter.

polariscope

A combination of a polarizer and an analyzer that is used to detect birefringence or rotation of the plane of polarization of materials placed between them. Useful for the determination of stress...

polariton

A polariton is a quasiparticle resulting from the strong coupling between photons (light particles) and certain types of excitations in a material, such as electronic excitations (electrons and...

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Photonics Dictionary

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