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Meadowlark Optics - Wave Plates 6/24 MR 2024

8,726 terms

Photonics Dictionary

second-side toric

The process of grinding the concave surface of a sphero-cylindrical lens.

second-window cable

Fiber optic cable that operates at the 1300-nm wavelength.

secondary axis

A line formed by the principal (center) ray of an oblique bundle of rays.

secondary bow

The indistinct rainbow that may sometimes be observed outside the distinct primary bow and that has its colors in opposite order. The red colors of both bows are toward each other.

secondary chromatic aberration -> secondary color

An aberration that remains after primary color is corrected. Primary color causes the back focus of a lens to vary with wavelength; for example, blue light comes to focus closer to the lens than...

secondary color

An aberration that remains after primary color is corrected. Primary color causes the back focus of a lens to vary with wavelength; for example, blue light comes to focus closer to the lens than...

secondary emission photocell -> photomultiplier tube

A photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a highly sensitive vacuum tube that detects and amplifies low levels of light. It is widely used in various applications where high sensitivity, fast response times,...

secondary fluorescence

Fluorescence produced by a material that has been treated with a dilute solution of fluorescing material.

Secondary Speckle Pattern

A self-interference effect that generates random patterns; secondary speckle pattern (SSP) typically occurs in diffuse reflections of a laser on paper, white paint or rough surfaces. By tracking both...

secondary spectrum -> secondary color

An aberration that remains after primary color is corrected. Primary color causes the back focus of a lens to vary with wavelength; for example, blue light comes to focus closer to the lens than...

secondary x-rays

X-rays emitted by a substance that formerly has been exposed to x-rays. The properties of the substance determine the frequency of the rays.

section converter

An arrangement of optical fibers in a bundle whereby the geometric configuration of the input end differs from that of the output end without changing the total area; for example, a circular bundle...

sector disc

A disc, having opaque and transparent sectors or sectors with unlike reflectances, that is rotated at a specific rate to form a continuous response to the average energy transmitted or reflected by...

SED

spectral energy distribution

Seebeck effect

Characteristic of dissimilar metals in thermoelectric solar cells whereby separate junctions exhibiting distinct temperatures transform incident voltage into a current.

seed

1. In glass, a solid inclusion having a small diameter. 2. A particular, single crystal that, after undergoing the Czochralski method, evolves into large single crystals.

SEED

self-electro-optic effect device

segment

In multifocal spectacles, a term used to denote glass with a high refractive index that has been fused to the blank and ground to a curvature, resulting in added power.

segment height

In a bifocal spectacle lens, the vertical measurement of distance from the uppermost borderline of the bifocal segment to the lower lens edge.

segment width

In spectacle lenses, the lateral measurement of a multifocal segment at its maximum width.

segmentation

In optical character recognition, the method of dividing a string of characters into separate, distinct characters.

SEI

Space Exploration Initiative

Seidel aberrations

Seidel aberrations refer to a set of monochromatic aberrations in optical systems, named after the German mathematician and physicist Ludwig von Seidel. These aberrations describe deviations from...

SEL

surface-emitting laser

selective laser melting

Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology that belongs to the powder bed fusion category. SLM is primarily used for metal additive manufacturing, where...

selective reflection

The reflection in different amounts as a function of wavelength, as a result of absorption and scattering, leading to color effects if occurring in the visible wavelength region.

selective transmission

Transmission in different amounts as a function of wavelength, as a result of absorption and scattering, leading to color effects if occurring in the visible wavelength region.

selenium cell

A photoconductive cell consisting of a layer of selenium on a substrate whose electrical resistance varies with the illumination falling on the cell. Selenium cells have been replaced largely by...

selenology

That branch of astronomy concerned with the study of the moon's physical characteristics.

self-absorption

In optical emission spectroscopy, the reduction in radiant power in the central portion of spectral lines arising from the selective absorption by the cooler outer vapor of the source envelope of...

self-electro-optic effect device

An optically bistable device used for photonic switching, constructed of a multiple quantum well biased by an external voltage, which creates an external field that shifts the wavelength of the onset...

self-generating barrier layer cell -> photovoltaic cell

A photovoltaic cell, commonly known as a solar cell, is a semiconductor device that directly converts light energy into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect. The photovoltaic effect is...

self-heating

Heating that results from the dissipation of energy.

self-luminous light source

Any material that derives its energy from chemically or electrically induced reactions; isotope or radium excitation is used to form the glow in luminescent watch or clock hands.

self-phase modulation

Self-phase modulation (SPM) is a nonlinear optical phenomenon that occurs when an intense laser beam passes through a medium, causing a change in the phase of the light due to its interaction with...

self-reversal

The extreme case of self-absorption.

SELFOC fiber

Derived from "self-focusing,'' Nippon Sheet Glass Co. (NSG) of Japan's trade name for graded-index fiber rods with parabolic index profile, suitable for use as cylindrical microlenses.

SELFOC lens -> SELFOC fiber

Derived from "self-focusing,'' Nippon Sheet Glass Co. (NSG) of Japan's trade name for graded-index fiber rods with parabolic index profile, suitable for use as cylindrical microlenses.

Sellmeier's equation

An equation that uses the wavelength of light passing through a medium, along with a set of coefficients, to calculate the medium's index of refraction. The coefficients, called Sellmeier...

SEM

scanning electron microscope

semiconductor

A semiconductor is a type of material that has electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. In other words, semiconductors have properties that are intermediate between...

semifinished blank

A formed piece of glass, one surface of which has been ground and polished to the required curvatures.

semifinished

A term used to describe a spectacle lens or blank with one surface totally finished.

semilenticular screen

A projection screen having vertical ribs or flutes set into a plastic surface.

semitransparent and p-phase annular aperture

An aperture consisting of a semitransparent central region whose amplitude transmittance only is varied, and the relative phase difference between the central and annular region is fixed as p -...

semitransparent photocathode

A photocathode that receives radiation from one side and emits a photoelectric current from the opposite side.

SEMLAM

semiconductor laser amplifier

Senarmont compensator

A type of compensator for use with a microscope and consisting of a quarter-wave plate in a fixed position and a rotatable analyzer.

Senarmont prism

A polarizing beamsplitting prism similar in design to the Rochon prism. However, the Senarmont transmits the extraordinary ray without deviation and deviates the ordinary ray due to the orientation...

sensitivity

In a radiation detector, the ratio of the output to the input signal.

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