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2,694 terms

Photonics Dictionary

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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...

active matrix; air mass; amplitude modulation

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,...

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...

amplified spontaneous emission

Broadband radiation emitted by a laser that does not transmit through the optical element. It can be removed by filtering.

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-modulated sensor

A type of fiber optic sensor that detects alteration in position, distance, pressure, liquid level or temperature by transmitting light across a gap to a reflector; a change in the light returned to...

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 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...

analytical photography

The use of photographs -- motion picture or still -- to establish if a particular event exists.

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 distortion

A type of distortion in which the magnification varies in different orientations, the directions of maximum and minimum magnification being orthogonal.

anamorphic lens

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

anamorphic system

An optical system with different focal lengths or magnification levels in perpendicular planes to the optical axis.

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.

anamorphote lens

A lens that distorts an optical image.

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 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 coefficient

The coefficient Å in Angstrom's formula for the dispersing coefficient for dust present in the atmosphere. The formula is expressed as S × Ål-B where l represents wavelength and B...

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 aperture

The angle between the most divergent rays that can pass through the lens to form an image. In a birefringent crystal light modulator or Pockels cell, the maximum angle in the incident light rays that...

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...

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,...

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...

anthropomorphic

Having human characteristics or behavior.

antiferromagnetism

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

antifog coating

A coating that is capable of stopping the condensation of moisture on an optical surface.

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...

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...

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.

AOM

acousto-optic modulator

APCVD

atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition

APD detector

An APD detector, or avalanche photodiode detector, is a type of photodetector used to detect light or optical signals by converting incoming photons into electrical current. It operates based on the...

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...

aplanatic points

Aplanatic points refer to specific points in an optical system where certain aberrations, such as spherical aberration or coma, are minimized or eliminated. In an optical system, aberrations are...

aplanatic surface

An aplanatic surface is an optical surface that is specifically designed or shaped to minimize spherical aberration and coma. Spherical aberration is an optical aberration that occurs when light rays...

apochromat

An apochromat, often referred to as an apochromatic lens or apochromatic objective, is a type of optical system designed to minimize chromatic aberration. Chromatic aberration occurs when different...

apodization

The use of a variable transmission filter at the aperture stop of a lens to modify its diffraction pattern. Reduced transmission at the center of the aperture will favor performance at high...

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