8,236 terms
Photonics Dictionary
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DPPMdynamic pulse position modulation
DPSSLdiode-pumped solid-state laser
DPTdigital piezoelectric translator
DRAdiscontinuously reinforced aluminum
DRAMdynamic random access memory
drawing towerA system for fabricating optical fiber, consisting of a furnace that heats the materials, a polymer coating stage, a capstan-pulling apparatus that free-draws the preform into a fiber and a drum on...
driftA gradual change in the output of a circuit or instrument over time.
drift curveA technique used in astronomy that requires a radio telescope to be directed at a point in the sky west of the object under observation. The Earth's rotation causes the object to drift through the...
drift scanAn astronomical scanning technique for capturing images of stars without moving the sensor. To perform a drift scan, a CCD sensor's readout rate must be synchronized with the motion of celestial...
driveThe hardware for reading (and writing in devices so equipped) an optical mass data storage disk.
driving currentThe minimum electrical current input needed to initiate lasing.
DROdirect readout; digital readout
droppingThe process whereby a blank or disc is heated to a sufficiently high temperature to sag into a mold having a desired curvature.
DRSdigital radar simulator; data relay satellite
DRTLdiode resistor transistor logic
drum cameraA type of streak camera that uses film wrapped around a drum, which moves at a constant speed to record the changing shape of a short-lived event, such as a lightning flash.
drum scannerAn image-processing device that scans in a straight line parallel to the axis of a rotating cylinder to which the material to be recorded is affixed.
dry objectiveA microscope objective designed to be used without liquid between the cover glass and the objective, or, in the case of metallurgical objectives, between the objective and the specimen.
DSFdispersion-shifted fiber
DSFSDoppler shift frequency spectrum
DSMdynamic scattering mode
DSOdigital storage oscilloscope
DSPdigital signal processing
DSWdirect step on wafer
DTdigital tomography; distant terminal
DTICDefense Technical Information Center
dual attachment stationIn a dual-ring local area network, a node that is connected both to the primary, active ring and also to a secondary ring that provides redundancy in case of cable or system failure.
dual inline packageA package for electronic components that is suited for automated assembly into printed circuit boards. The DIP is characterized by two rows of external connecting terminals or pins, which are...
dual laserA gas laser equipped with Brewster windows and concave mirrors (having unlike reflective properties) at each end of the tube to produce two separate wavelengths at the same time.
dual-axis laserDual-axis laser is a laser device or system capable of emitting laser beams along two orthogonal axes (typically X and Y axes) concurrently. This allows for precise control and manipulation of the...
dual-chirped optical parametric amplificationDual-chirped optical parametric amplification (DC-OPA) is an advanced technique in ultrafast laser technology used to amplify femtosecond laser pulses to extremely high energies while maintaining...
dual-wavelength spectrophotometrySpectrophotometry in which radiation of two separate wavelengths, usually one in an absorption band and the other not, pass through the specimen. The resulting data allows correction for attenuation...
dual-window cable -> double-window fiberOptical fiber capable of operating at both a shorter and a longer wavelength.
ductilityA material's ability to undergo plastic deformation, specifically elongation, without fracturing.
ductingPropagation of electromagnetic waves through the Earth's atmosphere in a path that conforms to the curvature of the Earth due to atmospheric thermal inversion. Regions of the atmosphere act as a...
duplet lens systemAn optical system having two sets of components separated by an air space, while successive lenses in each set are cemented together.
duplexIn data communications, the simultaneous operation of a circuit in both directions is known as full duplex; if only one transmitter can send at a time, the system is called half duplex.
dust counterAn instrument that uses a photoelectric system to determine the size and volume of dust particles in a given unit of air.
dust counting microscopeA microscope that has been modified to permit the quantitative analysis of dust samples.
dust extinctionIn atmospheric optics, the almost total blocking of light transmission in the atmosphere due to the scattering and absorption of the light by dust particles.
duty cycleAlso duty factor, duty ratio. The product of the pulse duration and the pulse repetition frequency of a wave composed of pulses that occur at regular intervals.
DUVdeep-ultraviolet
DVDdigital videodisc
DVDRdirect-view diagnostic region
DVIdigital video interaction
DVSTdirect-view storage tube
DWDMdense wavelength division multiplexing
dwell timeFor a detector, the amount of time alotted for the observation of one location.
DWGdigital waveform generator
dye -> laser dyeClass of organic dyes that emit coherent radiation over a wide spectral range.
Photonics Dictionary