Photonics Dictionary: B

The law stating that the amount of chemical change produced is proportional to the amount of light absorbed. Actually, the change is also dependent on the intensity of light -- a fact named the...

A surface imperfection caused by a polisher running dry too long. It occurs with felt or plastic polishers, and may appear as a reddish brown.

The operation of a laser diode or other component prior to its use in its intended application, as a means of testing and stabilizing it.

A detector's ability to sense an object on the opposite side of a thin but opaque barrier such as cardboard.

A convex lens that brings an incident bundle of rays to a focus to produce intense heat at the focus.

The process of lapping a thin edge of metal over the bevelled edge of a lens to maintain it within its cell.

A high-frequency pulse-rate laser with an output limited by the heat capacity of the laser medium. Instead of having continuous cooling, the laser operates until the medium reaches a maximum...

The measure used in vacuum technology to quantify the total pressure capacity of the ferrofluidic seal before it fails.

A local area network topology in which all nodes are tapped off a single cable, and all hear every transmission on the cable.

An electric filter that is characterized by a passband of the flattest possible shape.

A piece of glass with a high refractive index that is fused to the major blank.

The production of a block by attaching the optical elements to a plate by means of individual buttons of pitch or other thermoplastic material.

The number of bits used to represent a character.