Zurich Instruments AG - Boost Your Optics July-August LB

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Ohara Corp. - Optical Glass, Polish substrates 10-23

3,163 terms

Photonics Dictionary

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polychromatism -> dichroism

Dichroism refers to the property of certain materials to exhibit different colors or absorbance of light depending on the direction of light propagation or polarization. The term is commonly used in...

polygonal mirror

A polygonal mirror, also known as a multifaceted mirror or facet mirror, is a type of optical component used in various laser systems, optical scanners, and imaging devices. It consists of a flat or...

polymer

Polymers are large molecules composed of repeating structural units called monomers. These monomers are chemically bonded together to form long chains or networks, creating a macromolecular...

polymerase chain reaction

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a widely used molecular biology technique used to amplify a specific segment of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) through a series of temperature-controlled cycles....

polymethyl methacrylate -> acrylic

Acrylic refers to a type of synthetic polymer material known for its versatility, clarity, and durability. It is commonly used in a wide range of applications due to its beneficial properties. Here...

population inversion

The condition in which there are more atomic systems in the upper of two energy levels than in the lower, so stimulated emission will predominate over stimulated absorption. This condition may be...

Porro prism

A 45-90-45° reflecting prism whose surfaces form the 90° angle reflecting the light beam through a total angle of 180°. The corners of the prism are rounded to minimize breakage and simplify...

positive crystal

A uniaxial, birefringent crystal having an ordinary ray with a higher velocity than the extraordinary ray.

positive spherical aberration -> spherical aberration

Spherical aberration is an optical aberration that occurs when light rays passing through a lens or curved optical surface do not converge or diverge to a single focal point. Instead of focusing to a...

positive-intrinsic-negative diode -> PIN photodiode

A PIN photodiode is a type of photodetector or semiconductor device used to convert light signals into electrical signals. The name "PIN" is derived from the arrangement of the three semiconductor...

posterization

In image processing, the effect caused by large jumps between gray levels, rather than a gradual change.

powder camera

A camera system that uses a fine powder to diffract x-rays from the specimen. A beam of monochromatic x-rays passes through a collimator onto the specimen. Diffracted x-rays are recorded on the film...

powder radiography

A technique used in radiography to determine a crystal's structure by obtaining radiographs of it in powder form, normally by the use of a powder camera that forms an image of the crystal's x-ray...

power

With respect to a lens, the reciprocal of its focal length. The term power, as applied to a telescope or microscope, often is used as an abbreviation for magnifying power.

power density

In laser welding or heat treating, the instantaneous laser beam power per unit area. This parameter is key in determining the fusion zone profile (area of base metal melted) on a workpiece.

power modulation

Power modulation refers to the intentional variation of power levels in a signal, often in the context of electronic communication systems. This modulation technique is used to encode information...

power ratio -> radiant power

The time rate of flow of radiant energy, expressed in watts (W), and carries the units of Joule per second (J/s). The prefix often is dropped and the term "power" used.

PPLN

periodically poled lithium niobate

prefusing

A step before fusion splicing that involves cleaning the fiber end with low-current electricity.

prelasing

When uncontrolled laser energy leaks from a laser cavity prematurely, it causes serious damage to optical components and significant downtime for repair.

Prentice's rule

A method of determining prism power at any point on a lens. Prism power equals the product of the dioptric power and the distance, in centimeters, from the optical center.

pressurization

Injecting a gas (usually nitrogen) with a very low moisture content into the body of an optical instrument to create a positive internal pressure. This prevents the entrance of moisture, which could...

principal axis

A straight line connecting the curvature centers of the refracting lens surfaces. In a mechanical sense, a line joining the centers of a lens as it is placed in a mount. The principal axis is the...

principal plane

In a lens or lens system, that surface at which the projections of an entering and exiting ray intersect. Also known as the equivalent refracting surface, the principal plane is most often not...

prism binoculars

A pair of telescopes with prismatically erected images, mounted side by side with the eyepieces at the interocular distance of the observer. This separation is adjustable with a convenient millimeter...

prism chromatic resolving power

The chromatic resolving power of a prism is invariably stated for the case in which parallel rays of light are incident on the prism, in which the prism is oriented at the angle of minimum deviation...

prism power

The power, expressed in prism diopters, that is the linear displacement, in centimeters, produced by the prism one meter away.

prism spectrograph -> spectrograph

An optical instrument for forming the spectrum of a light source and recording it on a film. The dispersing medium may be a prism or a diffraction grating. A concave grating requires no other means...

prism

A prism is a geometric optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. It is typically a solid, transparent object with at least two flat surfaces that are inclined relative to each...

PRNU

photoresponse nonuniformity

probe card

A probe card is a testing device used in the semiconductor manufacturing industry to evaluate and test the electrical characteristics of integrated circuits (ICs) on a wafer. Its primary function is...

process control

The collection and analysis of data relevant to monitoring the rate and quality of industrial production, either continuously or in batches. Corrections can be made manually or automatically, via a...

process lens

A lens that is symmetrical and designed to work between 1:1 and about 4:1. It covers a field of about ±20° at f/8 or f/10, and may have a focal length up to about 30 in., although the usual...

profile dip -> index dip

The decrease in the refractive index at the center of a fiber's core, caused by certain fabrication techniques. Also called profile dip.

profile dispersion

In an optical waveguide, that dispersion attributable to the variation of refractive index profile with wavelength. The profile variation has two contributing factors: variation in refractive index...

projection moire topography

A contour mapping technique that involves projection of a grating onto an object to produce a shadow grating that is observed through another grating. Therefore, the size of the object to be measured...

prolate crystal -> positive crystal

A uniaxial, birefringent crystal having an ordinary ray with a higher velocity than the extraordinary ray.

proof strength

The minimum amount of strength characteristic of an optical fiber, as determined by proof stressing; expressed in thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch.

protective coating

A film applied to a coated or uncoated optical surface primarily for protecting this surface from mechanical abrasion, from chemical corrosion, or from both. For example, a thin layer of silicon...

protein crystallography

Protein crystallography is a scientific technique used to determine the three-dimensional structure of proteins at atomic resolution. It involves growing crystals of a protein of interest and then...

proximity effect

The underexposure caused by the diffraction of light passing through small openings spaced closely together in masks used in photolithography.

pseudo-second-derivative

A method used to approximate the values of the homogeneous second derivatives at each iteration in the course of lens design and that excels the rate of convergence of the damped least squares method...

pseudocolor

In image processing, generating a color image from monochrome data by assigning a color to each of the gray levels.

PSTM

photon scanning tunneling microscope

PTO

public telecommunications operator

pulse compression

A means of achieving higher peak powers and more efficient harmonic generation by narrowing the pulse width and thus increasing the frequency bandwidth of the output of CW mode-locked lasers....

pulse counter detector

A device designed to detect frequency-modulated signals by forming a unidirectional pulse from each sine wave. The direct current of the pulse is proportional to the frequency of the...

pulse repetition frequency

Number of pulses emitted per unit of time by a pulsed laser.

pulse shaping

The use of variations in the power supplied to a laser to change the shape of the output pulse. The technique is used in laser welding, for example, to condition a surface by preheating it at a low...

pulsed laser deposition

A technique for depositing a material coating on metal, ceramic, semiconductor or polymer substrates. The interaction of laser energy with the target creates a plume of ablated material that is...

Photonics Dictionary

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