Photonics Dictionary

A detector array refers to a collection of individual detector elements arranged in a two-dimensional grid or matrix format. Each element within the array is capable of detecting electromagnetic...

Dewetting is a phenomenon in materials science and physics where a thin film or coating spontaneously undergoes a process of breaking up and forming isolated droplets on a substrate. This occurs due...

1. An optical device used for projection of enlarged images of transparencies or lantern slides on a screen. 2. A device designed to hold and backlight transparencies so that their images can be...

Diffractive optical processors are optical devices that utilize diffractive optics principles to perform various computational tasks, such as image processing, pattern recognition, and optical...

A digital camera is a device that captures and records still images or video in digital format. Unlike traditional film cameras, which use photographic film to capture and store images, digital...

Also called DLIP, a high-speed, high-resolution processing technique that uses high-power, pulsed laser systems to directly ablate micro- and nanoperiodic structures with different features on large...

A laser having a rod that is a stacked array of discs immersed in a transparent flowing coolant fluid. In this way, the cooling rate is increased, the temperature gradients are basically parallel to...

A type of transversely excited laser with a uniform arc-free discharge of large cross-sectional area that can be scaled to very large systems.

Observed phenomenon of a small developed image with higher density than a larger image because of variation in photographic plate densities with variations in size of opening.

A specialized form of diffraction grating consisting of assembled glass plates of equal thickness that resemble a flight of stairs. The light enters through the largest plate at the end and emerges...

A cathode-ray tube that increases the brightness or size of an image or forms a visible image from invisible radiation. The focal plane for the optical image is a large, light-sensitive, cold...

The photographic recording of images produced by the electrons from an electron microscope. The electron beam carries the images through an array of three lenses, and an enlarged electron image is...

An instrument that serves to produce an enlarged electron image on a fluorescent screen by focusing an infrared image of a distant object upon a photosensitive cathode.

That branch of science involved in the study and utilization of the motion, emissions and behaviors of currents of electrical energy flowing through gases, vacuums, semiconductors and conductors, not...

The term "embedded laser" typically refers to a laser device that is integrated or embedded into a larger system or structure. In this context, "embedded" implies that the laser is an integral part...

The occurrence of very large rotations in transparent materials at weak magnetic fields as predicted in the classical dispersion theory. This effect was discovered by Mavaluso and Corbino in 1898 in...

An erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) is a type of laser that uses an optical fiber doped with erbium ions (Er³+) as the gain medium. These lasers are widely used in telecommunications, medical...

A fiber optic attenuator is a passive optical component designed to attenuate or decrease the intensity of an optical signal traveling through a fiber optic link. It achieves this by introducing a...

The use of thin flexible glass or plastic fibers as wave guides — or "light pipes" — to channel light from one location to another. Fiber optics is based off of the principle of total...

The field of view (FOV) refers to the extent of the observable world or the visible area that can be seen at any given moment through a device, such as an optical instrument, camera, or sensor. It is...

A flexible display refers to a type of electronic visual display that is designed to be bendable, foldable, or rollable, allowing for unconventional form factors and enhanced portability. Unlike...

In various fields such as fluid dynamics, microfluidics, and biotechnology, a flow channel refers to a defined pathway through which a fluid (liquid or gas) flows. The channel can be of various...

Flow chemistry, also known as continuous-flow chemistry, is a chemical manufacturing process where reactions take place in a continuous stream of fluids (liquids or gases) rather than in batch...

A camera with a very high aperture lens or mirror system for photographing x-ray fluorescent screen images, mainly to save the cost of large pieces of 11 x 14-in. film. The film may be 4 x 5-in. cut...

A free-electron laser (FEL) is a type of laser that generates coherent, high-intensity electromagnetic radiation by using a beam of accelerated electrons as the lasing medium. Unlike traditional...

1. Also known as near-field diffraction. The field of radiation sent through an aperture in an absorbing screen at large distances as compared with the wavelength and the dimensions of the aperture,...

Fusion ignition refers to the point in a controlled nuclear fusion reaction where the energy released by the fusion reactions becomes self-sustaining, leading to a continuous release of energy...

Gallium nitride (GaN) is a compound made up of gallium (Ga) and nitrogen (N). It is a wide-bandgap semiconductor material that exhibits unique electrical and optical properties. Gallium nitride is...

An intensified charge-coupled device that uses a large negative charge at the grid to switch off the flow of electrons at periodic intervals in order to provide a clearer output image when adverse...

The area of optics in which the propagation of light is described by geometrical lines (or rays) governed by Fermat's Principle. Geometrical optics is useful as long as the objects in which the light...

GigE, short for gigabit Ethernet, refers to a standard for high-speed Ethernet communication, capable of transmitting data at rates of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), or 1000 megabits per second...

A furnace used to heat glass materials. It may be a small laboratory-type furnace for small-scale experiments or large enough to hold gas-fired tanks for the commercial mass production of glass....

A plate of glass in which a face has been frosted by grinding or etching. It diffuses light by scattering in directions close to the incoming beam, but the light falls off rapidly at larger angles...

An aggravated form of fog in a polished surface caused by the scattering of light. The defects causing haze are larger than those causing fog, but singly are not large enough to be seen by the...

A lamp designed to emit a large amount of infrared radiation; used in applications requiring heat.

The Higgs boson is a fundamental particle associated with the Higgs field, a field that permeates the universe and is responsible for giving mass to other fundamental particles through the mechanism...

A high-sensitivity camera is a type of camera designed to perform well in low light conditions, capturing clear and detailed images with minimal noise. These cameras typically feature advanced sensor...

A high-speed motion camera, also known as a high-speed camera or slow-motion camera, is a specialized imaging device designed to capture fast-moving events or phenomena at extremely high frame rates....

An imaging device whose technology contributes three specific advantages: ability to study large solid specimens that exhibit behavior in bulk; conduction of in situ studies of radiation damage; and...

Homogeneous light refers to light that is uniform in intensity and color across a given area or space. In other words, homogeneous light sources produce illumination that is consistent and evenly...

A hydrogel is a three-dimensional network of polymer chains that are hydrophilic, meaning they have a strong affinity for water. This network structure allows hydrogels to absorb and retain large...

A hyperspectral imaging camera is a sophisticated imaging device capable of capturing and processing data across a wide range of wavelengths within the electromagnetic spectrum, typically from...

In computer graphics, the coordinated two-dimensional or three-dimensional area of increased resolution where graphics entities may be defined. The screen represents a viewing window for this area,...

Image segmentation is a fundamental process in computer vision and image processing that involves partitioning an image into multiple segments or regions based on certain criteria, such as color,...

A shutter in which the opening and closing times for a large aperture setting occupy a substantial fraction of the total exposure time so that apertures and time pair readings from an exposure meter...

Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a method of achieving nuclear fusion, a process where two atomic nuclei combine to release energy. In the case of inertial confinement fusion, the fusion reaction...

Inertial fusion energy (IFE) refers to a proposed method of generating electricity by harnessing the energy released from the fusion of light atomic nuclei, typically isotopes of hydrogen, through a...