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Photonics Dictionary

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transmission electron microscope

A transmission electron microscope (TEM) is a powerful microscopy technique that uses a beam of electrons to create high-resolution images of extremely thin samples. In a TEM, electrons are...

transport theory approximations

Multiple scattering method used in biological analysis in which approximations yield simple, explicit solutions, at least for slab geometry. The approximations are usually differential equations...

transverse electric mode -> transverse mode

In the context of optics and lasers, a transverse mode refers to a specific spatial pattern of the electric field within the cross-section of a laser beam. These modes represent the different...

transverse electromagnetic mode -> transverse mode

In the context of optics and lasers, a transverse mode refers to a specific spatial pattern of the electric field within the cross-section of a laser beam. These modes represent the different...

transverse mode

In the context of optics and lasers, a transverse mode refers to a specific spatial pattern of the electric field within the cross-section of a laser beam. These modes represent the different...

trichromacy

The basis of color vision in the human eye. Three types of cones have been identified, each having a unique spectral response (red, green and blue).

triclinic

With respect to a crystal, having three unequal axes intersecting at angles, only two of which can be equal and only one of which can measure 90°.

triplet

A lens assembly made up of three lens elements that may or may not be cemented.

tristimulus colorimeter -> colorimeter

A colorimeter is a device used to measure and quantify the color characteristics of an object or a light source. It provides objective and standardized color information, typically expressed in terms...

two-photon excited fluorescence

Two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) is a nonlinear optical method that allows imaging of biological cells and living tissue. The advantage of TPEF in comparison to conventional fluorescence...

two-photon fluorescence

This results from the simultaneous absorption of two photons, each having half the energy needed for excitation and requiring a high spatial and temporal concentration of photons. The ensuing...

two-photon polymerization

Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is a technique used in additive manufacturing, specifically in the field of 3D printing. It involves using a focused laser to polymerize a photosensitive material in a...

Twyman-Green interferometer

A testing device that provides a contour map of the emergent wavefront for the observer in terms of the given wavelength of the light.

uhlbricht sphere -> integrating sphere

A hollow sphere coated internally with a white diffusing material and provided with openings for incident beam, specimen and detector used for measuring the diffuse reflectance or transmittance of...

ultrafast pulsed laser

An ultrafast pulsed laser is a type of laser that emits extremely short pulses of light with durations typically on the order of femtoseconds (10-15 seconds) or picoseconds (10-12 seconds). These...

ultrasonic holography -> acoustical holography

Acoustical holography is a technique used to visualize and analyze sound fields in three-dimensional space. It involves capturing the complex spatial distribution of acoustic waves, much like how...

Ultraviolet-C

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...

ultraviolet coatings

Ultraviolet (UV) coatings are specialized optical coatings designed to operate in the ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically ranging from 10 nm to 400 nm. These coatings are...

ultraviolet reflectance

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,...

umbra -> penumbra

A source of light will not cast a distinct shadow of an interfering, opaque object, but will cast a shadow having two parts: 1. the umbra, or the central, totally dark part of the shadow; and 2. the...

uniformly redundant array

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...

unit plane -> principal plane

In a lens or lens system, that surface at which the projections of an entering and exiting ray intersect. Also known as the equivalent refracting surface, the principal plane is most often not...

V-number -> normalized frequency

Also referred to as the V number in fiber optics; the normalized frequency is a dimensionless quantity, denoted by the symbol V, given by: where a is waveguide core radius, l is wavelength in vacuum,...

vacuum chamber

A vacuum chamber is a sealed enclosure from which air and other gases are removed to create a low-pressure environment, typically close to or at a complete vacuum. These chambers are often...

variable-focus condenser

An Abbe condenser in which the upper lens element is fixed. The lower lens may focus the illumination between the elements so that it emerges from the fixed lens as a large-diameter parallel bundle....

VCSEL -> vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light vertically from the surface of a semiconductor wafer. VCSELs are commonly used in various...

Verdet constant

A factor of an equation of the Faraday effect, which is the rotation of the plane of light polarization by transparent materials in a magnetic field. Therefore, in the equation: where a...

vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser

A laser that has a surface-emitting semiconductor gain element coupled to an external mirror designed to complete the laser resonator. VECSELs can be electrically or optically pumped. The extended...

vertical-cavity laser diode -> vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light vertically from the surface of a semiconductor wafer. VCSELs are commonly used in various...

vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light vertically from the surface of a semiconductor wafer. VCSELs are commonly used in various...

vibrational spectroscopy

Vibrational spectroscopy is a type of spectroscopy that involves the study of the vibrational states of molecules. It is used to obtain information about the molecular structure, bonding, and...

vidicon

A small television tube originally developed for closed-circuit television. It is about 1 inch in diameter and 5 inches long. Its controls are relatively simple and can be operated by unskilled...

vignetting

In an optical system, the gradual reduction of image illuminance as the off-axis angle increases, resulting from limitations of the clear apertures of elements within the system.

volume Bragg gratings

Volume Bragg gratings (VBGs) are specialized optical elements that consist of periodic variations in refractive index throughout the volume of a transparent material, typically a photosensitive glass...

vortex phase plate

A vortex phase plate is an optical device designed to impart a phase singularity, commonly referred to as a vortex or phase vortex, onto a light beam. This singularity results in a phase profile...

VSTEP

vertical to surface transmission electrophotonic device

Wadsworth mounting

A system used for gratings that consists of a concave mirror, a grating and a plate holder mounted normal to the grating to reduce astigmatism and spherical aberration. The mounting yields a...

wavefront reconstruction -> holography

Holography is a technique used to capture and reconstruct three-dimensional images using the principles of interference and diffraction of light. Unlike conventional photography, which records only...

wavelength shifter

A photofluorescent compound that, when used with a scintillating substance, absorbs photons and emits related photons having a greater wavelength. In this way a phototube or photocell may employ the...

wedge

An optical element having plane-inclined surfaces. Usually the faces are inclined toward one another at very small angles. Wedges divert light toward their thicker portions, and may be circular,...

Weissenberg method

The Weissenberg method, named after the German physicist Karl Weissenberg, is a technique used in x-ray crystallography for obtaining high-quality diffraction patterns from single crystals. This...

whispering gallery mode

Whispering gallery mode (WGM) refers to a phenomenon in wave physics, particularly in optics, where waves, such as light or sound waves, are trapped and circulate along the periphery of a curved...

white-light interferometer -> optical profiler

Also known as a white-light interferometer. Measures surface texture and shape from nanometer-scale roughness to millimeter-scale step heights. A standard arrangement includes an illumination source,...

wide-angle distortion

A common aberration in lenses covering large fields of view; it results in images of objects near the edge of the field being compressed in the radial distortion.

wide-angle lens

A wide-angle lens is a type of camera lens that has a shorter focal length than a standard or normal lens, allowing it to capture a broader field of view. Wide-angle lenses are characterized by their...

Winston cone

Specified curved optic intended for maximum collection of light, including off-axis rays, before leaving the exit aperture.

Wollaston prism

A polarizing prism consisting of two calcite prisms cemented such that they deviate the two emerging beams (which are mutually perpendicularly polarized) by nearly equal amounts in opposite...

x-ray diffraction

The bending of x-rays by the regular layers of molecules in a crystal acting like a very small diffraction grating. The diffraction pattern so obtained and recorded on film provides a means for...

x-ray image spectrography

Irradiation of a cylindrical crystal with an x-ray beam resulting in Bragg diffraction that produces a slightly enlarged image.

YAG crystal

A YAG crystal refers to a solid-state crystal made of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), which is a synthetic crystalline material. YAG crystals are known for their exceptional optical properties,...

Photonics Dictionary

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