Type

Browse by Letter

Zurich Instruments AG - Unlock the Full Spectrum 9/24 HP

726 terms

Photonics Dictionary

Clear All Filters x avi x
chemical actinometer

A light-sensitive detector having a chemical compound that reacts when exposed to light. It is used in photochemistry and relies on the chemical reaction to determine the amount of incident radiation.

chemical-mechanical polishing

A technique for polishing silicon in which an alkaline suspension containing silicon dioxide particles creates a soft layer of silicon hydroxide, which is then removed, leaving a surface with the...

chromatic

Having the property of color.

chromatic vision -> color vision

Color vision refers to the ability of organisms to perceive and distinguish different wavelengths of light as different colors. It is a sensory ability that allows humans and many other animals to...

chrominance

The difference between any color and a reference color having equal luminance and a specified chromaticity.

CIE observer

Hypothetical observer having standard color vision as described by standard color-matching properties.

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...

circumzenithal arc

The halo phenomenon of a brightly colored arc having the colors of the rainbow and lying parallel to the horizon.

cobalt glass

Glass that transmits near-ultraviolet radiation but is opaque in the visible region. Also known as woods glass.

coherent fiber bundle

A coherent fiber bundle (CFB), also known as a coherent fiber optic bundle, is an assembly of multiple optical fibers arranged in a specific geometric pattern to maintain the spatial coherence of...

coherent Raman effect -> Raman scattering

Raman scattering, also known as the Raman effect or Raman spectroscopy, is a phenomenon in which light undergoes inelastic scattering when interacting with matter, such as molecules, crystals, or...

cold atom

Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to nanokelvin (nK) range, close to absolute zero (0 Kelvin or -273.15°C). At...

colliding pulse modelocked ring laser

A ring dye laser that uses prisms and a saturable absorber within the laser cavity to shape and shorten the pulses generated. Counterpropagating modes oscillating simultaneously in the ring...

color

The attribute of visual experience that can be described as having quantitatively specifiable dimensions of hue, saturation, and brightness or lightness. The visual experience, not including aspects...

color holography

The recording of three or more separate holograms having a different color on a medium, so that illumination with a tricolor beam yields three separate wavefronts, each representing one of the...

color vision

Color vision refers to the ability of organisms to perceive and distinguish different wavelengths of light as different colors. It is a sensory ability that allows humans and many other animals to...

comparison lamp

A reference incandescent light source having a luminous intensity that is used in photometry for comparison of other light sources.

comparison spectrum

In analysis, a reference spectrum, having predetermined wavelengths, that is used to determine the wavelengths of another spectrum through comparison of the two.

compensating wedge -> measuring wedge

A wedge in a rangefinder or heightfinder used to displace the image produced by one telescope so that it coincides with that produced by the other telescope, thus affording a measurement of the...

compound semiconductor

A semiconductor made up of two or more elements, in contrast to those composed of a single element such as germanium or silicon. In a III-V semiconductor, for example, one or more elements having...

concave

Concave is an adjective used to describe a surface or shape that curves inward or has a hollow or recessed appearance. In the context of geometry or optics, a concave shape is one that curves or...

concave and convex spherical mirror

Concave and convex spherical mirrors are types of curved mirrors that have surfaces shaped like segments of spheres. These mirrors are commonly used in optics for various applications, including...

concentric

Characterized by having the same center. Concentric circles differ in radius but have a common center point.

concentric lens

A lens having surfaces whose centers of curvature coincide.

constant luminance encoder

A device used in broadcast CCD cameras to improve definition in heavily saturated colors by band-limiting the color difference signals after gamma correction.

contact microradiography

The radiography of small objects having detail too fine to be seen by the unaided eye. The resulting negative, when optically enlarged, can be examined.

contourography

The generation, usually by a cathode-ray oscilloscope, of a two-dimensional image having a three-dimensional appearance.

Cornu double prism

A compound prism formed by cementing together two 30° prisms, one of right-handed and one of left-handed quartz. It has good ultraviolet-transmitting qualities and no double refraction.

correlated color temperature

Temperature of the blackbody having chromaticity nearest to that of the test source on a specified chromaticity diagram.

cosine emission law -> Lambert's cosine law

Flux per unit solid angle leaving a surface in any direction is proportional to the cosine of the angle between that direction and the normal to the surface. A material that obeys Lambert's cosine...

cryostat

A cryostat is a device used to maintain very low temperatures, typically below the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K or -196°C) or even lower. It provides a controlled environment for...

crystal laser -> solid-state laser

A solid-state laser is a type of laser that uses a solid gain medium (as opposed to a liquid or gas) to produce coherent light. The term "solid-state" refers to the fact that the active medium, where...

curing

The use of chemicals or radiation to induce a desired change in a substance; e.g., some optical adhesives are set by exposure to ultraviolet light and are said to be UV-curing.

cylindrical lens

A cylindrical lens is an optical component that has different curvatures along its two orthogonal axes, resulting in a shape resembling a cylinder. Unlike spherical lenses, which have the same...

Dall-Kirkham telescope

A telescope similar to the customary Cassegrain telescope, but having a primary mirror that is ellipsoidal and a secondary that is spherical.

dark frame

A frame taken to identify electronic noise in a CCD imaging device. A dark frame is recorded without exposing the CCD to any external light by, for example, leaving the shutter of a CCD camera...

dark-field condenser

A condenser that forms a hollow cone-shaped beam of light with its focal point in the plane of the specimen. If it is used with an objective having a numerical aperture lower than the minimum...

dark-field photomicrography

A photomicrographic recording technique that utilizes dark-field illumination to render an image of an object having a refractive index much like that of the medium holding it. The object may be...

dark-line spectrum

A spectrum having some lines that are darker than others or that contrast against a light, continuous-spectrum background.

data acquisition systems

A data acquisition (DAQ) system is a combination of hardware and software used to collect, process, and analyze data from physical phenomena or processes. data acquisition system suppliers...

data analysis software

Data analysis software is a category of software tools used for the systematic examination of data sets to uncover patterns, trends, relationships, and insights. It supports a range of analytical...

design and engineering consulting services

Design and engineering consulting services refer to professional services provided by specialized firms or individuals to assist clients in various aspects of product development, system design, or...

detector array

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...

deuterium discharge lamp

A discharge lamp filled with deuterium to produce high-intensity ultraviolet radiation for use in spectroscopic analysis.

dewetting

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...

diamond turning

Diamond turning, also known as diamond machining or diamond cutting, is a precision machining process used to produce high-quality optical surfaces and components with extremely tight tolerances. It...

diaphragm shutter

A shutter consisting of a ring of interweaving blades that open outward and allow light to pass when they are pivoted at their outer edges.

dichroic mirror

A dichroic mirror, also known as a dichroic beamsplitter or interference filter beamsplitter, is an optical device that selectively reflects or transmits light based on its wavelength. Dichroic...

dielectric coated grating

A shallow, fine-pitch diffraction grating having a precise dielectric overcoating that experimentally has absorbed wavelength-specific incident light that is polarized in the P-plane.

diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is a nondestructive analytical technique used to investigate the optical properties of materials, particularly in the field of spectroscopy. Unlike traditional...

Photonics Dictionary

Need Help?