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6,178 terms

Photonics Dictionary

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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

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...

analyzer

An optical device, such as a Nicol prism, capable of producing plane-polarized light, and used for detecting the effect of the object on plane-polarized light produced by the polarizer.

anamorphic

A term used to denote a difference in magnification along mutually perpendicular meridians. Anamorphic systems are basically image-distorting systems, such as those used in motion pictures, that...

anamorphic lens

A lens, usually having one or more cylindrical surfaces, used to produce distorted images and later to restore them to true form.

anamorphoscope

A cylindrical convex viewing mirror used for viewing distorted pictures formed by photographing the reflections of the objects in a similar type of mirror.

anamorphosis

A state in which an image is distorted by an optical system.

anastigmat

A compound lens combination whose astigmatic difference is zero for one or more off-axis zones in the image plane. In such a lens the other aberrations are sufficiently well-corrected to yield...

angle gauge

A glass or metal measurement tool having a precisely calibrated angle between two of its faces.

angle of convergence

An angle formed by the lines of sight of both eyes when focusing on an object. Also, the rate at which a ray approaches the optical axis.

angle of deflection

The angle through which a beam is deflected.

angle of deviation

The angle through which a ray of light is deviated by a refracting or reflecting surface, or a prism; the angle between an incident ray and the refracted or reflected ray.

angle of incidence

The angle formed between a ray of light striking a surface and the normal to that surface at the point of incidence.

angle of reflection

The angle formed between the normal to a surface and the reflected ray. This angle lies in a common plane with the angle of incidence and is equal to it.

angle of refraction

The angle formed between a refracted ray and the normal to the surface. This angle lies in a common plane with the angle of incidence. See also Snell's law of refraction.

Angstrom mode

An operational mode for radiometers that analogs the method of operation of an angstrom pyrheliometer. In this mode, the rearward-facing cavity is electrically heated, while the forward cavity is...

angstrom

An angstrom, symbolized by the Ångström or Å, is a unit of length used to express atomic and molecular dimensions. It is equal to 0.1 nanometers or 1 × 10-10 meters. The...

angular magnification -> magnification

The ratio of the size of the image of an object to that of the object. The ratio of the linear size of the image to that of the object is lateral magnification. Angular magnification is the ratio of...

angular misalignment

Angular deviation from the optimum alignment of source to optical waveguide, waveguide to waveguide, or waveguide to detector, resulting in a loss of optical power.

angular spectrum approach

The angular spectrum approach is a mathematical and computational technique used in the field of optics to analyze and simulate the propagation of optical waves, particularly in the context of wave...

angular tracking

A laser radar application in which a sequence of direct measurements of target position is fed into a tracking filter to produce refined estimates of both present and future target positions.

anisotropic

Anisotropic is a term used to describe a material or substance that exhibits different properties or behaviors in different directions. In other words, the physical or mechanical characteristics of...

anisotropy

Anisotropy refers to the property of exhibiting different values or characteristics when measured in different directions. In various fields, including physics, materials science, and geology,...

annealing

The process of heating and slowly cooling a solid material, like glass or metal, to stabilize its thermal, electrical or optical properties or, as in semiconductor materials, to reverse lattice...

annihilation radiation

Gamma ray radiation released when matter and antimatter, such as electron and positron, unite and eliminate each other, transforming completely into energy. The resulting gamma ray spectrum depends...

annular eclipse

A type of solar eclipse that occurs when the sun is at perihelion and the moon is at apogee. Because the apparent size of the moon is insufficient to cover the sun, the outer edge of the solar disc...

anode

The part of an electrical circuit in which the electrons leave (a cathode-ray tube) or enter (an electrolytic cell) a unit in the circuit.

anomaloscope

An optical instrument that uses a yellow light of varying intensity with red and blue lights of fixed intensity to test for colorblindness.

anomalous photoconductivity

A spectral phenomenon in which the degree of the photoresponse of an illuminated semiconductor is determined by the wavelength composition of the incident light.

ANRT

Association Nationale de la Recherche Technique

ANSI

American National Standards Institute

anthropomorphic

Having human characteristics or behavior.

antialiasing

In image processing, methods of reducing image defects that result from false data. Techniques include sampling, linear intensity, filtering a high-resolution image to produce a low-resolution image,...

antibleaching

Characteristic of an absorber in the IR region, whereby absorption increases as a direct function of the intensity of the incident, continuous radiation.

antiferromagnetism

The elimination of magnetic moments and decrease in magnetic susceptibility with a decrease in temperature due to the equal power of atomic magnets.

antigen

An antigen is any substance that is capable of triggering an immune response in an organism. Antigens are typically proteins or large polysaccharides, although other types of molecules can also act...

antiguide

A waveguide that has a core with a lower refractive index than the refractive index of the cladding. This structure can limit the power of the transmitted beam by removing unwanted radiation, for...

antihalation backing

Light-absorbing material that is applied to the back support of any bright image under inspection to prevent the formation of a secondary image.

antireflection coating

An antireflection coating (AR coating) is a thin film or coating applied to optical surfaces, such as lenses or windows, to minimize unwanted reflections and increase the transmission of light...

antiresonance

Literally the opposite of resonance, antiresonance occurs when any variation in excitation frequency results in an increased response.

antisolar point

The point to which the extension of the straight line, reaching from the sun to the observer's eye after penetrating the atmosphere of the Earth, is projected.

antistatic coating

An electrically conductive layer for carrying off static charges that might accumulate on a surface.

ANVIS

aviator's night vision imaging system

AOI

area of interest; automatic optical inspection

AOTF

acousto-optic tunable filter

aperture

An opening or hole through which radiation or matter may pass.

aperture card

A combination 80-column computer card containing a 35-mm microfilm frame. Reference data can be punched onto the card to facilitate retrieval of it on film.

aperture diaphragm

The second adjustable iris diaphragm in an optical system. In the common microscope condenser system, it usually is located beneath the substage condenser on a transmitted light microscope. When the...

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