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8,289 terms
Photonics Dictionary
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ns x
circle of least confusion
Best point of focus for an image in a beam of light at the smallest cross section of the beam.
circle, aiming
->
aiming circle
An instrument designed to measure angles in azimuth; used in general topographic work and military gunnery.
circular birefringence
The optical phenomenon in which right circularly polarized light transmitted by an active medium travels at a different velocity than that of left circularly polarized light.
circular dichroism spectroscopy
A type of spectroscopy used extensively in the analysis of biological samples. Because most biologically synthesized molecules, such as proteins, are optically active, circular dichroism spectroscopy...
circular dichroism
Circular dichroism (CD) is a spectroscopic technique used to study the structural characteristics of chiral (asymmetric) molecules, particularly biomolecules like proteins, nucleic acids, and certain...
circular scanning
Scanning characterized by the generation of a plane or right circular cone with a vertex angle of about 180° by the direction of maximum radiation.
circular variable filter
An optical interference coating, vacuum-deposited on a circular substrate, whose transmission characteristics may be varied by physical rotation.
circular-ranging optical coherence tomography
Circular-ranging optical coherence tomography (CR-OCT) is a specialized imaging technique used in medical diagnostics and research to obtain high-resolution cross-sectional images of biological...
circularly polarized light
A light beam whose electric vectors can be broken into two perpendicular elements that have equal amplitudes and that differ in phase by l/4 wavelength.
circulator
A passive device, having three or more ports, in which input light from one port is coupled only to the next sequential port in a given direction and is prevented from traveling in any other...
circum
circumference
circumzenithal arc
The halo phenomenon of a brightly colored arc having the colors of the rainbow and lying parallel to the horizon.
CIS
compensated imaging system
CL
cathodoluminescence
CLA
center line averaged
cladding
The low-refractive-index material that surrounds the core of an optical fiber to contain core light while protecting against surface contaminant scattering. In all-glass fibers, the cladding is...
cladding glass
In fiber optics, the glass that is found around the glass core of the fiber, and that has a lower refractive index than the fiber.
cladding mode
A mode that is confined by virtue of a lower-index medium surrounding the cladding. Cladding modes, in the terminology of mode descriptors, are equivalent to cladding rays in the terminology of...
cladding mode stripper
A mechanism or device, especially a coating with a refractive index equal to or slightly greater than that of an optical fiber's cladding, that removes modes propagating through the cladding by...
cladding ray
A ray that is reflected into the core of an optical fiber from the outer surface of the cladding.
CLASP
closed-loop adaptive single parameter
classification duration
For a laser, the maximum exposure time that the laser design allows; 0.25 seconds for a Class 2 laser.
Clayden effect
The desensitization of the first photographic exposure after it has been subjected to high-intensity radiation.
cleaning equipment
In optics, degreasers or ultrasonic arrangements used for removing pitch, cement or polishing material from lenses during manufacture. It also may refer to manual cleaning devices used immediately...
cleanroom
An area in which airborne particulates can be monitored and controlled so that given size particles do not exceed a specified concentration, thereby eliminating potential dysfunctions in gyroscopes,...
clear aperture
The limited light-gathering area of an optical system. The area is normally restricted to an edge or outer surface of an individual component. Also known as free aperture or objective aperture. The...
clear eye distance
In a visual optical system, the axial distance from the last mechanical surface of the eyepiece to the exit pupil.
cleared out
Denoting a finished circular edge. A decentered lens is adjusted on a centering chuck so that its image runs true, and the lens is then edged. A circular edge is one that has been cleared out....
clearing
Also called shining. Grinding and polishing one surface of a blank to permit a more thorough examination for quality.
cleavage planes
Naturally occurring planes in crystalline substances that provide easy points for separation.
CLEO
Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics
clinical photography
The application of photography, with the exception of radiography, to obtain pictures of parts or the whole of a patient to make a diagnosis.
clinometer
An instrument for measuring the vertical angle of an object. It usually contains an accurately made protractor, a sensitive level bubble, and a sighting device, such as a small telescope.
clipping
A defect in an optical system that prevents rays from reaching their intended destination; it can be caused by an undersized aperture, a baffle out of position, etc. In imaging applications, removing...
clock
A signal, generated by an oscillator, that provides the means of synchronization of operations in a data communications network.
closed-circuit television system
A television system that does not broadcast television signals but transmits them over a closed circuit.
closed-loop adaptive single parameter
A closed-loop system that compensates for thermal blooming by optimizing only one parameter: the amplitude of the phase correction.
closing
In morphological image processing, a series of dilations followed by the same number of erosions.
CLSM
confocal laser scanning microscope
CLU
central logic unit
CLV
constant linear velocity
cm
centimeter
cm/s
centimeter per second
CMA
channel multiplier array
CML
current mode logic
CMM
coordinate measuring machine
CMOS
complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
CMOS
->
complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) refers to a technology used in the fabrication of integrated circuits, particularly semiconductor devices like microprocessors, memory chips, and image...
CMOS camera
A CMOS camera refers to an imaging device that employs a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor to capture digital images. CMOS cameras have become ubiquitous due to their low...
CMOS quantitative polymerase chain reaction system
This type of miniaturized system, referred to as CMOS qPCR, combines microfluidic technology with an ultralow-light CMOS bio-optical sensor with LEDs as the optical excitation source to achieve...
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Photonics Dictionary
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