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5,268 terms
Photonics Dictionary
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lasercaving
A machining process that uses a laser to cut three-dimensional molds or models.
lasing medium
The material that produces stimulated emission from within a laser oscillator. Laser gain media may vary from extended-length glass fibers to submicron-length semiconductor material.
lasing threshold
The lowest excitation power level at which a laser's output is mainly the result of stimulated emission rather than spontaneous emission.
LATD
large-area transmission density
latency
Latency is the time interval between the stimulation or input of a system and the response or output. It is a measure of the time delay experienced in a system, network, or process. Latency can occur...
latensification
A short term for latent image intensification, a process much like hypersensitizing in photography, but used after exposure and before development of the negative.
latent image
The pattern of physical or chemical changes that has taken place in a photographic emulsion, by its exposure to light, that will form a visible image when the emulsion is developed. Also known as...
lateral color
Lens aberration resulting in image size variation as a function of wavelength. See also chromatic aberration.
lateral extensometer
An extensometer used to measure deformations in the thickness of a plate caused by tension, compression or other stress.
lateral load test
A method of measuring microbending losses in optical fiber by sandwiching a length of fiber between two parallel plates, with 150-grit sandpaper on the bottom plate. Different weights are placed on...
lateral 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...
lateral mode
In a diode laser, a mode in the plane of the active layer that is perpendicular to the direction of the emitted beam.
lateral offset loss
A power loss caused by transverse or lateral deviation from optimum alignment of source to optical waveguide, waveguide to waveguide, or waveguide to detector.
lateral shearing interferometer
A lateral shearing interferometer is an optical device used in interferometry to measure phase differences between two beams of light. Interferometry is a technique that combines and analyzes...
lateral vision
The perception of visual stimuli at the left and right outer boundaries of the visual field.
lateral wave
Light generated along the interface when light is incident in the neighborhood of the total internal reflection angle.
lattice
In photonics, a lattice refers to a periodic arrangement of optical elements or structures, often on a microscopic or nanoscopic scale. These optical lattices can be created using various techniques...
lattice constant
A length that denotes the size of the unit cell in a crystal lattice. With respect to the cubic crystal, this is the length of the side of the unit cell. However, a simple definition of the term is...
lattice energy
With respect to the crystal, the decrease in energy that follows the process whereby the ions, separated from each other by an infinite distance, are brought to their locations in the stable lattice....
launch angle
The angle between the light input propagation vector and the optical axis of an optical fiber or fiber bundle.
launching fiber
A fiber used in conjunction with a source to excite the modes of another fiber in a particular fashion.
Laurent polarimeter
A Laurent polarimeter is an instrument used in optics for measuring the rotation of plane-polarized light caused by optically active substances. Optical rotation, also known as optical activity, is a...
law of Beer
->
Beer's law
Transmittance of a stable solution is an exponential function of the concentration of the absorbing solute.
law of Brewster
The law stating that when light strikes a surface at such an angle that the reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular to each other, the maximum polarization of the light occurs in both...
law of reflection
The law stating that the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence, the incident ray, reflected ray and normal to the surface, all being located in the same plane.
law of reversibility
In physics, the law of reversibility is often associated with the concept of reversibility in thermodynamics. The law asserts that any process that occurs in a closed system can, in theory, be...
Lawson criterion
Defines the minimum operational standards for a self-sustaining fusion reactor as equivalence between energy released per volume unit and kinetic energy per unit volume.
lay length
In a fiber optic cable, the longitudinal length required for the transmission media, wrapped around a central member, to complete one helical wrap. Also called pitch.
layout
In the optical shop, the process of positioning and marking a blank or lens before surfacing, cutting and edging.
LCL
laser communication link
LCVD
laser chemical vapor deposition
LD
laser desorption
LDEF
Long Duration Exposure Facility
leaching
The process of removing some of the constituents of a glass surface by chemical action.
lead selenide cell
A thin-film photoconductive cell that is sensitive to the infrared region. The photosensitive material of the cell is composed of lead selenide, and the cell is used in the detection of infrared...
lead sulfide cell
A photoconductive cell having greatest sensitivity in the infrared region. The photosensitive material of the cell is lead sulfide, which is deposited on a glass plate.
leading edge spike
In a sequence of laser pulse emissions, the intitial pulse that often helps initiate a reaction at the target surface, whereas the trailing edge maintains the reaction.
leaky mode
In an optical waveguide, a mode whose field decays monotonically for a finite distance in the transverse direction but which becomes oscillatory everywhere beyond that finite distance.
leaky ray
In an optical waveguide, a ray for which geometric optics would predict total internal reflection at the core boundary, but which suffers loss by virtue of the curved core boundary.
least circle of confusion
The circle of confusion is a defocused or aberrated image of a point. Focus is generally set where the diameter of this circle is minimized or least.
LED
->
light-emitting diode
An LED, or light emitting diode, is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs are widely used in various applications due to their energy efficiency,...
LEED
laser-energized explosive device; low-energy electron diffraction
legacy fiber
Older fiber optic cable that may not be suitable for state-of-the-art applications and that is difficult for suppliers to sell.
Lenard tube
An electron-beam tube designed so that the beam can be carried through a portion of the wall of an evacuated enclosure.
lens bench
->
optical bench
A support for optical parts comprising a solid bed that permits precise longitudinal movement of one component relative to the others, and a number of sliders equipped with holders for lenses, lamps,...
lens blank
A lens blank is a piece of optical material in a raw, unfinished state, typically in the form of a disk or block, from which lenses are eventually fabricated. Lens blanks are made from various...
lens molding
The production of rough glass lens blanks that are pressed while red-hot to the approximate size and shape of the finished lens, ready for fine grinding and polishing. Large companies often do their...
lens mount
The metal tube that maintains the optical components of a lens in proper relationship. Some lenses are mounted in metal cells, which in turn are screwed to the front and rear of a shutter or lens...
lens system
Two or more lenses arranged to act in conjunction with one another.
lens testing equipment
Lens testing equipment refers to a range of specialized tools and instruments used to evaluate the optical performance, quality, and characteristics of lenses. These instruments are essential for...
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Photonics Dictionary
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