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Photonics Dictionary
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all-silica fiber
Also known as all-glass fiber. A fiber with both a silica core and a silica cladding, regardless of the presence of a polymer overcoat or buffer.
allochromy
Any fluorescence in which the wavelength of the emitted light differs from that of the absorbed light.
allogyric birefringence
Left- and right-hand circularly polarized beams that are produced at different velocities by passing plane-polarized light through an optical substance. When recombined, they exhibit different phases...
alloy-junction photocell
A photocell having an alloy junction formed by combining an indium disc with a thin wafer of N-type germanium.
allyl diglycol carbonate
Commonly known as CR39, this thermosetting plastic is used in the casting of eyeglass lenses because of its toughness and clarity.
ALP
advanced lightwave platform
alpha
In computer imaging, a value representing opacity.
alpha laser
A 2-million W, 2.7-µm-wavelength hydrogen-fluoride laser used as a directed energy weapon.
alpha particle
A positively charged particle emitted from the nucleus of an unstable isotope, characterized by two protons and two neutrons. Quantitatively, the equivalent of a helium atom's nucleus.
alphanumeric display
A luminous display of numbers and the letters of the alphabet.
alphanumeric generator
In computer graphics, a character generator that produces alphabetical and numerical characters with some punctuation and symbols.
alphanumeric reader
An instrument that reads alphabetic, numerical and special characters by means of a photosensor that measures the varying intensity of the characters reflected from a light source.
altazimuth
A type of telescope mount that permits direct azimuth and elevation adjustments.
alternating current
Alternating current (AC) is an electrical current in which the direction of flow of electric charge periodically reverses. This reversal occurs at regular intervals, typically in a sinusoidal...
ALU
arithmetic logic unit
aluminized cathode-ray tube
A cathode-ray tube having a screen that is coated on the back with a thin film of aluminum, which serves to intensify the propagation of light.
aluminizing
The process of applying a film of aluminum to a surface, usually by evaporation in a vacuum.
AM
active matrix; air mass; amplitude modulation
ambient light
Light present in the environment around a detecting or interpreting device, especially a machine vision system, and generated from outside sources. Such light must be treated as noise by the vision...
ambient noise
The all-encompassing noise associated with a given environment, usually being a composite of a number of sources, far and near.
ambient temperature
The prevailing temperature in the immediate vicinity of the object; the temperature of its environment.
ambrotype
The underexposed collodion that is present on a glass negative as a positive when backed with material.
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science, engineering, and innovation for the benefit of all people....
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society (AAS) is a prominent professional association of astronomers and other scientists dedicated to the study of astronomy and related fields. Founded in 1899, the AAS...
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 and chartered by the U.S. Congress,...
Amici prism
Also known as roof prism. A type of prism designed by G.B. Amici. It consists of a roof edge produced upon the long reflecting face of a right-angle prism. Used as an erecting system in elbow and...
ammonia maser
An ammonia maser is a device that amplifies microwave radiation using ammonia gas molecules in a process analogous to how lasers amplify visible light through stimulated emission of radiation. The...
ammonia pellets
Charged frozen pellets that are rapidly bombarded with a focused high-power laser to form a dense plasma that can be heated and sustained with neutral beams.
AMOLED
active-matrix organic light-emitting diode
amorphous
The disordered, glassy solid state of a substance, as distinguished from the highly ordered crystalline solid state. Amorphous and crystalline phases of the same substance differ widely in optical...
amphoteric materials
Substances that exhibit the characteristics of both acids and bases and are capable of both P- and N-type conductivity.
amplification
->
gain
Also known as amplification. 1. The increase in a signal that is transmitted from one point to another through an amplifier. A material that exhibits gain rather than absorption, at certain...
amplified spontaneous emission
Broadband radiation emitted by a laser that does not transmit through the optical element. It can be removed by filtering.
amplifier
A device that enlarges and strengthens a signal's output without significantly distorting its original waveshape. There are amplifiers for acoustical, optical and electronic signals.
amplitude (light)
The magnitude of the electric vector of a wave of light. See electric vector; magnetic vector.
amplitude hologram
A hologram in which diffraction is produced by the silver image, resulting in a dimmer image than in a phase hologram, where diffraction takes place at the gelatin relief image left once the silver...
amplitude shift keying
In digital data transmission, the representation of a bit by change in amplitude of the outgoing signal. Amplitude shift keying (ASK) is less sensitive than phase-shift keying, but can tolerate...
AMU
atomic mass unit
anaglyph
An image that can be studied three-dimensionally through a pair of complementary color filters composed of two superimposed views.
analog
A physical variable that is proportionally similar to another variable over a specified range. An analog recording contains data that is similar to the source.
analog adaptive resonance theory
Analog adaptive resonance theory (AART) is a neural network model within the broader framework of adaptive resonance theory (ART), which was introduced by Stephen Grossberg. ART is a cognitive and...
analog output
Information presented as a continuously variable relationship between a signal and a standard.
analog signal
A signal in the form of continuously variable voltage or current.
analog stroke
An analog method of moving a cathode-ray tube beam across a display screen face, commonly used in high-performance vector and character generators.
analog thermogram
->
thermogram
Also known as analog thermogram. The resultant photograph, illustrating, in tones ranging from black to white, the spatial relationship of the infrared radiation temperatures of the different details...
analog-to-analog
Analog-to-analog (AA) refers to the process or system that involves the conversion or transmission of analog signals from one form to another, without converting them into digital signals at any...
analog-to-digital converter
A device that converts an analog signal, that is, a signal in the form of a continuously variable voltage or current, to a digital signal in the form of bits.
analog-to-digital
Analog-to-digital (A/D) is a process that converts continuous analog signals into discrete digital signals. This process coverts analog signals continuously, which vary smoothly over time, into a...
analytical photogrammetry
The use of mathematical analysis to derive solutions in the science of photogrammetry.
analytical photography
The use of photographs -- motion picture or still -- to establish if a particular event exists.
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Photonics Dictionary
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