8,738 terms
Photonics Dictionary
Search 8,700+ definitions in the Photonics Dictionary—your authoritative source for terms in optics, lasers, imaging, fiber optics, and related technologies.
TLCthin-layer chromatography
TLPtransmission line pulse
TLRtwin-lens reflex
TLVthreshold limit value
TMtransverse magnetic
TMAthree-mirror anastigmat
TMBStorque motor-beam steerer
TMCtotal metal ceramic
TMOthermomagnetic optical disc
TMRtransmyocardial revascularization
TN-LCDtwisted nematic liquid crystal display
TOtransistor outline
TO packageHousing that resembles a small metal can for a semiconductor component, photodetector or similar device.
TODStransportable optical disc system
TOFtime of flight
tokenIn a local area network, a unique signal that travels from one node or station to another, providing them serially with access to the network for sending data.
tolerance fieldIn fiber optics, the annular region between two concentric circles; used to specify fiber cladding and core sizes.
tolerancingThe determination of the degree to which a manufactured component can deviate from its ideal specifications of material and geometry without impairing its performance.
tomographyTechnique that defocuses activity from surrounding planes by means of the relative motions at the point of interest.
tomosynthesisA variation of tomography in which several photographs of a patient are taken at different angles, and back-projection of the resulting radiographs produces light distribution in a chosen...
tonalityThe distribution of gray-scale values in an image.
Topogon lensA symmetrical, very wide-angle lens. Well-corrected for spherical aberration and color, the Topogon can cover fields up to 90° at speeds from f/11 to f/6.3.
topological photonicsTopological photonics is a branch of physics and optics that explores the application of topological concepts to the behavior of light in photonic systems. Drawing inspiration from the field of...
topologyTopology is a branch of mathematics that focuses on the properties of space that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, crumpling, and bending, but not tearing or gluing....
toric lensA lens having one or more toric surfaces. A toric surface is one having a maximum power in one meridian and a minimum power in a perpendicular meridian. In ophthalmic optics, toric lenses are used to...
toric surfaceA surface that is swept out by revolving a circle about an axis that lies in the plane of the circle but that does not intersect its center. The result is a surface having different curvatures in...
torqueA calculated measure of the ability of an incident force to cause an object to spin. The spin speed of any given object is a direct function of the duration of the torque application.
torrA unit of pressure of 1 mm Hg, equivalent to 133 P. One atmosphere = 760 torr. (t).
TOSAtransmitter optical subassembly
total fluxThe luminous flux emitted by a light source in all directions.
total image runoutImage displacement by a decentered lens, rotated on a chuck whose axis of rotation passes through the geometrical center of the rim of the lens, when the light source is at an infinite distance. It...
total insertThe lateral distance between a vertical line drawn through the geometrical center of the distance portion of a multifocal, and a vertical line penetrating the geometrical center of the segment.
total internal reflection fluorescenceTotal internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy is an advanced fluorescence microscopy technique that leverages the principle of total internal reflection to selectively illuminate and image...
total internal reflectionThe reflection that occurs within a substance because the angle of incidence of light striking the boundary surface is in excess of the critical angle.
total radiation pyrometerAlso known as a pyrradiometer. An instrument that is designed to measure heat radiation nonselectively; e.g., the combination of terrestrial and solar radiation.
tourmalineA naturally occurring crystalline mineral that has the property of polarizing transmitted light. It is little used now that the Polaroid sheet is available.
Touschek effectEffect whereby two electrons lose synchronism with the accelerating field and are lost during synchronous radiation. The effect is produced by the scattering of the electrons that are oscillating in...
TOWtube-launched optically tracked wire-guided
TPEthermoplastic elastomer
TPEFtwo-photon excited fluorescence
TPFtwo-photon fluorescence
TPItracks per inch
TPONtelephony on passive optical network
TPPtwo-photon polymerization
TPRthermoplastic recording
TPVthermophotovoltaic
TQM/SPCtotal quality management/statistical process control
traceIn a cathode-ray tube, the visible line or lines formed on the screen by the deflection of the electron stream.
tracking1. The process of following an object's movement; accomplished by focusing a radar beam on the reticle of an optical system on the object and plotting its bearing and distance at specific intervals....
tracking accuracyMeasurement of a translation stage's deviation from absolute straightness, that is, its angular motion in both the vertical and the horizontal planes.
Photonics Dictionary