Photonics Dictionary

Any of a number of instruments that uses a flame to vaporize a solution of the chemical being analyzed so that light may be passed through the vapor. Monochromation of the transmitted light is...

A part of the spectrochemical analysis of a sample that deals with the excitation of that sample by flame analysis.

The procedure applied to flame-excited line emissions to determine spectra and wavelengths.

The study of the reflection or transmission properties of specimens as a function of wavelength after they have been excited by flame-analysis techniques.

The study of flames by means of a laser emitting blue light and a spectrometer to measure the green fluorescence created by the flame chemistry.

The emission spectrum formed by the radiation from a sample that has been evaporated by a nonluminous flame.

The distance between the locating surface of the lens mount and the image plane.

Nonimage-forming light, concentrated or diffuse, that is transmitted through the lens to the image. It is frequently the result of reflections from lens surfaces, a lens barrel, shutter or lens mount.

A filter, partially opaque to near-ultraviolet, visible and infrared radiation, that may be made by exposing and processing photographic film. Such materials are almost equally opaque to radiation of...

A spectroscopic technique used in the detection of free radicals by virtue of their electronic spectra. In this method, an intense light flash is used to form extensive photolysis and yield a high...

A technique used in radiography to obtain an unblurred image of a moving object by the use of very short x-ray exposures, such as one microsecond, to record the image.

A sensitometer that utilizes an electronic flashtube or a photoflash lamp as both the light source and the shutter for obtaining short-duration exposures.

The study and interpretation of the spectra of substances after they have absorbed the radiant energy emitted by a brief, intense light source.

The inverse peak voltage that produces ionization in a gas tube.

A device that is designed to automatically turn electric lamps on and off in a rapidly repeating sequence. The device may use a motor-driven mechanism or a combination heater filament and bimetallic...

A device that converts stored electrical energy into light by means of a sudden electrical discharge.

A pulsed dye laser in which the excitation is provided by means of a flashlamp. Output is tunable from 335 to 850 nm, with peak power up to 7000 kW.

A piece of glass having a crude plano surface on each side.

A polishing machine designed to permit adjustment of the polisher speed and motion for the control of flat surfaces.

A slab-shaped, very low profile package for electronic components; often used when printed circuit boards must be closely stacked together.

An electronic display in which a flat screen is formed by an orthogonal array of display devices, such as electroluminescent devices, light-emitting diodes or liquid crystal cells.

A frame taken with a CCD camera of a surface that is evenly illuminated by diffuse light. This frame shows irregularities in the light-sensing ability of the CCD, such as electronic defects and dust...

A lens that focuses on a flat plane because its field of curvature is close to zero.

An imaging device analogous to a drum scanner, but operating at greater speeds; it uses a row of sensors to traverse an image affixed to a flat surface.

A flexible display refers to a type of electronic visual display that is designed to be bendable, foldable, or rollable, allowing for unconventional form factors and enhanced portability. Unlike...

The fluctuation in apparent illumination that has a rate comparable to the reciprocal of the period of persistence in vision.

Any noise with a power spectral density that is the inverse of the signal's frequency and is therefore most significant for low-frequency signals. It can be expressed as 1/f and is therefore also...

A bench photometer that depends on the inability of the eye to distinguish color in brief flashes of light. Any difference in the intensity of reflected colored samples, presented to the observer in...

Heterochromatic photometry that depends on the elimination of chromatic flicker at a lower frequency than luminance flicker.

An instrument designed to give a visual indication to the pilot when the plane has strayed from a specific flight path.

One of the two major types of optical glass, the other being crown glass. Flint glass is softer than crown glass, has a higher dispersion and usually a higher refractive index.

An optical switch that controls conduction paths into and out of a junction in fiber optic and integrated optical circuits.

A reticle whose image may be moved about in a field of view.

A material that surrounds a fiber optic cable's buffer tubes to prevent moisture from entering if the jacket is breached.

The Floquet Fermi liquid state refers to a concept in condensed matter physics that arises when a system is subjected to periodic driving or modulation, typically by an external periodic field such...

Floquet-Bloch oscillations refer to a phenomenon in condensed matter physics, specifically in the context of periodic potential systems subjected to an oscillating external field or periodic...

An automatic camera that can record reduced images of documents at a rate of up to 30,000 documents per hour by having the film and documents move synchronously in opposite directions.

In various fields such as fluid dynamics, microfluidics, and biotechnology, a flow channel refers to a defined pathway through which a fluid (liquid or gas) flows. The channel can be of various...