Photonics Dictionary

Ultrasonic refers to sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing, typically above 20,000 Hz. These waves are termed ultrasonic because they are beyond the range...

The region of the electromagnetic spectrum from 320 to 400 nm.

A filter that is opaque from 200 to 400 nm.

The region of the electromagnetic spectrum from 280 to 320 nm.

Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) refers to a specific range of ultraviolet radiation with shorter wavelengths than those of visible light. UV-C radiation spans the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths...

A technique, involving spectrophotometry in the ultraviolet, that is designed to determine the colors of thin-layer chromatographic absorbents after elution.

Ultraviolet (UV) fiber optics refers to optical fibers that are designed and optimized for the transmission of ultraviolet light, which is electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than...

A type of lamp that emits a high quantity of ultraviolet radiation. This may be an arc lamp encased in a bulb of a glass that is transparent to ultraviolet rays.

A lens intended for use with wavelengths shorter than about 380 nm. It must be made of quartz, calcium fluoride, lithium fluoride or some other material transparent to ultraviolet radiation, as glass...

A microscope used either to detect selective absorption of various wavelengths by the specimen or to achieve increased resolution by virtue of the short wavelength of ultraviolet radiation. Electron...

The study and photographing of microscope specimens in ultraviolet light; using an optical microscope containing fluorite and quartz components to efficiently image wavelengths much shorter than the...

A pulsed laser having molecular nitrogen as laser material and a wavelength output of 337 nm in the ultraviolet region. It is essentially a channel flashtube in which a pulse is applied to the...

A technique for measuring the energy spectrum of electrons emitted during the absorption of ultraviolet radiation. This spectrum reveals the characteristic ionization energies of the molecules and...

The photographic recording that uses ultraviolet radiation to irradiate the microscope sample being examined and to form an image of the object on a photographic medium. The components of the...

Ultraviolet reflectance refers to the ability of a material or surface to reflect UV light. Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than those of visible light,...

A spectrophotometer designed for use in the 200- to 380-nm range of the electromagnetic spectrum and equipped with a calibrated scale to determine wavelength.

That invisible region of the spectrum just beyond the violet end of the visible region. Wavelengths range from 1 to 400 nm.

Also known as UV-VIS spectrometer, a device that measures the absorbance, reflectance or transmittance of light in the ultraviolet or visible wavelengths absorbed, reflected or transmitted. Commonly...

A connection, typically made up of one or more cables, between a laser head and a separate power supply. Flexible pipes or hoses are sometimes used to protect and stabilize multiple cables.

The initiation of the beam in a cathode-ray tube.

The process whereby optical elements are removed from a block.

A term describing lenses with both surfaces finished but not yet cut to any form.

Illumination of hologram facets with a beam that covers only a small portion of the hologram in order to optimize laser energy use. See overillumination.

The field of photography concerned with the recording of subjects beneath the water with a watertight, water-resistant camera system.

A television system designed to obtain pictures of objects or scenes beneath the surface of the water. Generally, a low-light-level television camera and a suitable light source are enclosed in a...

A device used in a free-electron laser to convert the electron-beam's energy into microwave laser radiation by creating a magnetic field of alternating polarity through which the free electrons are...

A doubly refracting crystal having a single axis along which there is an absence of double refraction.

A color space in which equal distances represent equal visually perceived color differences.

In a cathode-ray tube, the region wherein a display on the tube keeps 70 percent or more of its luminance at the center of the viewing area.

Array used in coded-aperture imaging experiments with two-beam CO2 lasers that provide an artifact-free process, faithful reproduction of the true image, and more photon collection than the pinhole...

A piezoelectric transducer made of a thin strip of piezoelectric material bonded to a strip of metal.

In interferometry, the result of superimposing two wavefronts of identical shape, yielding a uniform intensity interference pattern with no bands.

Refers to the transistors in which the working current flows through only one type of semiconductor material, either P-type or N-type. In unipolar transistors, the working current consists of either...

A simple electrostatic lens with a focus controlled by a single potential difference.

A unit of measurement in a rangefinder corresponding to 12 s of arc in the apparent field.

A system by which consumer products are assigned a bar code that is read by a scanner at a cash register, enabling computerization of pricing and inventory records.

One of the four functions that allows the computation of a transparent medium's index of refraction, provided the index has been identified for four standard wavelengths.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot onboard. UAVs are remotely controlled or autonomously operated, and they can be used for various...

Behaving as though characterized by a series of waves having planes of vibration oriented at all possible azimuths.

A resonator often used for mode control in Fresnel number laser cavities that is highly vulnerable to extremely weak external sources of feedback.

A type of glass contrived by Schott that is highly transparent to ultraviolet radiation.