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5,268 terms

Photonics Dictionary

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amplitude shift keying

In digital data transmission, the representation of a bit by change in amplitude of the outgoing signal. Amplitude shift keying (ASK) is less sensitive than phase-shift keying, but can tolerate...

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...

anaglyph

An image that can be studied three-dimensionally through a pair of complementary color filters composed of two superimposed views.

analog

A physical variable that is proportionally similar to another variable over a specified range. An analog recording contains data that is similar to the source.

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 output

Information presented as a continuously variable relationship between a signal and a standard.

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 photogrammetry

The use of mathematical analysis to derive solutions in the science of photogrammetry.

analytical photography

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

analytical phototriangulation

The use of photographs taken from specially placed cameras, to develop, through computation, a spatial solution of the photographed phenomenon.

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 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.

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 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 elevation

The angle between an instrument's line of sight and a reference horizontal plane.

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.

angle-tracking system

A system in which a sequence of direct measurements of the target position is fed into a tracking filter that may produce refined estimates of past, present and future target positions.

Angstrom compensation pyrheliometer

A system used for measuring direct solar radiation.

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 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.

anisophotic source

A light source that emits an uneven distribution of radiant energy through the visible range.

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,...

ANMC

American National Metric Council

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...

anomalous dispersion

Dispersion that occurs when the medium's index of refraction decreases as the frequency of the propagating light increases. For a given medium, some wavelength ranges may produce anomalous dispersion...

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.

anomalous propagation

Irregular propagation of a wave due to variations in the medium's density or refractive index.

anomalous trichromatism

Color vision whereby abnormal proportions of three colors are needed for color matching.

ANRT

Association Nationale de la Recherche Technique

ANSI

American National Standards Institute

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.

anticathode -> x-ray tube target

Also known as an anticathode. An electrode or electrode section that is focused upon by an electron beam and that emits x-rays.

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.

Photonics Dictionary

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