Definitions

The area of low-level luminance lying between the cathode and the negative glow in a glow-discharge, cold-cathode tube.

The apparent luminosity or glow that immediately envelops the cathode in a gas-discharge tube operating at low pressures. The glow increases as the pressure decreases.

The amplitude modulation through the application of modulating voltage to the cathode circuit.

Cathode radiant sensitivity refers to the ability of a photocathode to convert incident radiant energy, typically in the form of light, into an electrical signal. Photocathodes are components used in...

The method of disintegrating the substance of the cathode by bombarding it with ions and depositing it on another electrode or electron tube envelope.

Also known as cathode rays. Formerly, this term described a stream of electrons emitted from the cathode of a gas-discharge tube during its bombardment by positive ions. It also describes any stream...

A cathode is an electrode through which electric current flows out of a polarized electrical device. In different contexts, the specific role and behavior of the cathode can vary, but it generally...

A cascade amplifier that uses a common cathode resistor to couple energy from stage to stage.

A cathode-ray tube, driven by a computer, that receives impulses of information from the computer and displays it in a series of lines, circles, curves or other graphic forms to be viewed by the user.

A term used in data processing to describe a cathode-ray tube that displays graphic or character data.

A plane that lies at right angles to the tube axis that has the deflection center.

Envelopes for cathode-ray tubes are made by blowing glass in the same manner as light bulbs. They have a fairly flat end face to carry the phosphor material applied internally.

A fiber optic end plate constructed by drawing a bundle of parallel fibers embedded in glass and cutting it into thin slices. These slices are assembled in a plane and heated to produce a...

A high-quality, narrow-angle lens of high aperture designed for low magnification in the recording of cathode-ray tube images.

The luminous trace formed on the cathode-ray tube screen by the motion of the electron beam.

A vacuum tube with an electron gun at one end and a fluorescent screen at the other. Electrons emitted from a heated filament are accelerated by a series of annular anodes at progressively higher...

Light produced when a metal is bombarded with high-velocity electrons causing small amounts of the metal to vaporize and emit radiation. Also known as electronoluminescence.

An ion carrying a positive charge and thus attracted to the cathode during electrolysis.

Light that is directed or focused by means of curved reflective surfaces.

An optical system in which the only image-forming elements are curved-surface mirrors; e.g., a Cassegrain lens system.

A surface that envelops a bundle of rays or bundle of normals to the wave surface. It may be observed as a hollow, luminous cusp in a turbid medium.

In a laser, the optical resonator formed by two coaxial mirrors, one totally and one partially reflective, positioned so that laser oscillations occur.

A Q-switch method that can result in extreme pulse shortening.

A CCD camera, or charge-coupled device camera, is a type of digital camera that utilizes a CCD image sensor to capture and record images. CCD cameras are widely used in various applications,...

A CCD image sensor, or charge-coupled device image sensor, is a type of electronic device used to convert optical images into electronic signals. It is a key component in digital cameras, camcorders,...

An adaptation by Philips and Sony of their audio compact disc technology for optical disc data storage and retrieval. Current capacity of a disc is 0.5 to 0.6 gigabytes of information.

A technical specification for a consumer product drawn up by Sony and Philips. CD/I combines audio, video and text recorded as interleaved channels on a disc similar to an audio compact disc. The...

1. A single unit in a device for changing radiant energy to electrical energy or for controlling current flow in a circuit. 2. A single unit in a device whose resistance varies with radiant energy....

Cell adhesion refers to the process by which cells interact and attach to neighboring cells or to the extracellular matrix (ECM), a network of proteins and other molecules surrounding cells. This...

Cell migration refers to the process by which cells move from one location to another within tissues or across biological barriers. This fundamental biological process is essential during various...

An adhesive used for bonding optical elements or for holding devices.

The surface of an element of a compound lens that will produce the cemented interface. The curves of this interface are called inside curves. To facilitate cementing, the two inside curves should...

The center of the sphere of which the surface of a lens or mirror forms a portion. Each curved surface of a lens has a center of curvature; the surfaces may be convex or concave.

That viewpoint at which the angular subtenses of points in the picture are identical to angular subtenses of the original points in the scene, at the camera lens.

The lens thickness measured at the optical axis.

In an interferogram, an intense portion of the recording that corresponds in size to the amount of infrared radiation incident on the detector.

The surface curvature designed to reduce the marginal error found in the periphery of a spectacle lens.

A lens system in which the centers of curvature of all surfaces fall on a common axis.

1. Mounting a lens or mirror so that its optical axis is coincident with the optical or mechanical axes of other portions of the system. 2. The machining (edging) of the outside diameter of a lens...