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3,170 terms

Photonics Dictionary

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chronophotograph

The continuous record containing the series of pictures formed by chronophotographic methods.

chuck

In the optical field, a tube to which a lens is fastened for centering.

chuck mark

The mark formed when the movement of the lens over the face of the centering chuck abrades the surface.

CID -> charge-injection device

A charge-injection device (CID) refers to a class of devices that manipulate and detect electrical charge within a semiconductor material. Charge-coupled devices are a specific implementation of this...

CID camera

CID, or charge injection device, camera refers to a type of imaging device that utilizes a specific kind of solid-state image sensor technology. CID cameras are capable of capturing images in a...

CIE coordinates -> chromaticity coordinates

Proportions of standard primaries (tristimulus values) required for a color match; ratios of each tristimulus value of a color to their sum. In the CIE colorimetric system, designated X, Y and Z.

CIE system

Methodology for specifying color based on the CIE sources, observers, and coordinate system.

cinemicrography

Cinematography performed with the use of a microscope to film the actions of microscopic specimens.

cinetheodolite -> phototheodolite

A camera equipped with angular scales in altitude and azimuth. The scale readings are imprinted on the film when an exposure is made. The exact point indicated by the scale readings is shown by...

CIPS

communications, information and processing services

circle of confusion

The image of a point source that appears as a circle of finite diameter because of defocusing or the aberrations inherent in an optical system.

circle of least confusion

Best point of focus for an image in a beam of light at the smallest cross section of the beam.

circular dichroism

Circular dichroism (CD) is a spectroscopic technique used to study the structural characteristics of chiral (asymmetric) molecules, particularly biomolecules like proteins, nucleic acids, and certain...

cladding glass

In fiber optics, the glass that is found around the glass core of the fiber, and that has a lower refractive index than the fiber.

classification duration

For a laser, the maximum exposure time that the laser design allows; 0.25 seconds for a Class 2 laser.

cleaning equipment

In optics, degreasers or ultrasonic arrangements used for removing pitch, cement or polishing material from lenses during manufacture. It also may refer to manual cleaning devices used immediately...

clear filter -> compensating glass

Also known as clear glass or clear filter. The clear glass plate is used to simulate a filter, in converging or diverging light, to maintain focus.

clearing

Also called shining. Grinding and polishing one surface of a blank to permit a more thorough examination for quality.

cleavage planes

Naturally occurring planes in crystalline substances that provide easy points for separation.

clinometer

An instrument for measuring the vertical angle of an object. It usually contains an accurately made protractor, a sensitive level bubble, and a sighting device, such as a small telescope.

clipping

A defect in an optical system that prevents rays from reaching their intended destination; it can be caused by an undersized aperture, a baffle out of position, etc. In imaging applications, removing...

closed-loop adaptive single parameter

A closed-loop system that compensates for thermal blooming by optimizing only one parameter: the amplitude of the phase correction.

closing

In morphological image processing, a series of dilations followed by the same number of erosions.

CLSM

confocal laser scanning microscope

CMOS -> complementary metal-oxide semiconductor

Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) refers to a technology used in the fabrication of integrated circuits, particularly semiconductor devices like microprocessors, memory chips, and image...

CMOS camera

A CMOS camera refers to an imaging device that employs a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor to capture digital images. CMOS cameras have become ubiquitous due to their low...

CMOS image sensor

A CMOS image sensor, short for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor, is a type of semiconductor device used to capture visual information and convert it into electrical signals for...

CMOS quantitative polymerase chain reaction system

This type of miniaturized system, referred to as CMOS qPCR, combines microfluidic technology with an ultralow-light CMOS bio-optical sensor with LEDs as the optical excitation source to achieve...

coagulation

Coagulation refers to the process of transforming a liquid, particularly blood or a solution containing dispersed particles, into a solid or semi-solid state. This term is most commonly associated...

coating jig allowance -> jig allowance

Also called coating jig allowance. That margin on an optical component that is outside the clear aperture for use in holding the component in the optical thin-film coater tooling during the...

CoaXPress

CoaXPress (CoaXPress or CXP) is a standardized digital interface and communication protocol used primarily in machine vision and industrial imaging applications. It enables high-speed data...

COCOM

Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls

coded disc

A reticle carrying patterns of various forms that can be rotated in an optical beam to cause variations in the intensity of the beam. It also is used in infrared detectors to scan the object field...

coherence length

That length over which energy in two separate waves remains constant. With respect to a laser, the greatest distance between two arms of an interferometric system for which sufficient interferometric...

coherent communications

A fiber optic communications system that works on the principles of homodyning or heterodyning. The transmitting laser produces an optical wave that is modulated in amplitude, phase or frequency by...

coherent fiber bundle

A coherent fiber bundle (CFB), also known as a coherent fiber optic bundle, is an assembly of multiple optical fibers arranged in a specific geometric pattern to maintain the spatial coherence of...

coherent Raman effect -> Raman scattering

Raman scattering, also known as the Raman effect or Raman spectroscopy, is a phenomenon in which light undergoes inelastic scattering when interacting with matter, such as molecules, crystals, or...

coincidence prism

A compound prism consisting of an assembly of small prisms cemented together that is used in a coincidence rangefinder to transmit the images from the two objectives to a single eyepiece for viewing.

cold atom

Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to nanokelvin (nK) range, close to absolute zero (0 Kelvin or -273.15°C). At...

cold flow

Deformation of a material caused by mechanical factors, especially constant pressure, and not attributable to thermal effects.

cold shield

That part of an infrared detector-Dewar assembly that limits the solid angle viewed by the sensor; it is maintained at a uniformly cold temperature so that no thermal energy is emitted. Also known as...

Collaborative Robot

Collaborative Robot (Cobot): Unlike traditional autonomous robots, which usually work by themselves, a collaborative robot is programmed to work with humans, such as a guide or an assistant. They can...

collimating telescope -> collimator

An optical instrument consisting of a well- corrected objective lens or mirror with a light source and or object/image (i.e. illuminated slit or retical) at its focal plane. Collimators are used to...

collimator

colloid

A colloid is a mixture in which one substance of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. The particles in a colloid are larger than those in a...

color blocking -> contact blocking

Also called color blocking. The formation of a block by making optical contact between a number of optical elements and a large optical flat.

color center

A color center, in the context of materials science and condensed matter physics, refers to a specific type of crystallographic defect in a crystalline structure that introduces color to the...

color comparator

1. A device used in chemistry to compare the colors of solutions held in flat-bottomed tubes and viewed along the length of the tube. Often a solid glass plunger is moved along one of the tubes to...

color filter -> optical filter

An optical filter is a device that selectively transmits or blocks specific wavelengths, or colors, of light. Optical filters are used to control the spectral content of light in various...

color graphics converter

A unit that converts images to the standard NTSC format for use with video recorders, projectors and discs.

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