Photonics Dictionary

The fiber optic connector developed and manufactured by Amphenol Fiber Optic Products.

The investigation of microstructures by an instrument that generates a narrow, highly collimated beam of x-rays.

A bomb guided to its target by some form of electro-optical system.

Smart cities are urban environments that use information and communication technologies (ICT) and data-driven solutions to optimize city operations and services across various domains such as...

Smart microscopy refers to the integration of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and machine learning, into conventional microscopy techniques to enhance imaging...

An array of active optical devices (modulators, laser diodes and/or detectors), each of whose electrical inputs or outputs are directly connected to electronic logic circuits, which also are a part...

Structural surfaces that incorporate an embedded sensor network capable of detecting flaws within the structure.

A plasma produced by the interaction of an intense laser pulse with a material surface. Production of ionized particle with high intensity radiation. The narrow path of the intense field produces a...

A gas made up of electrons and ions.

A plasma accelerator is a type of particle accelerator that uses electric fields and magnetic fields to accelerate charged particles, typically electrons or ions, by exploiting the motion of charged...

The use of a plasma to induce the formation of oxides in the production of graded-index optical fibers.

A type of flat panel display made up of a layer of gas between two glass plates. The glass is coated with parallel conductors that form cells which, when energized, produce a gas discharge that makes...

Operates with light collectively emitted by the recombination of free electrons and ions in the plasma state.

Introduced into the laser beam from localized fluctuations in current density within the plasma itself. These fluctuations represent macroscopic changes of gain in the laser.

The study of highly ionized gases. Many phenomena not exhibited by uncharged gases are associated with plasma physics.

Plasma's ability to stop the transmission of laser light.

An electron beam gun in which plasma that is generated within a low-voltage hollow-cathode discharge serves as the source of electrons.

Monolithic self-scanning linear image sensor array for multichannel spectroscopy with a spectral range of from 200 to 1000 nm.

Describing a prism, or the effects produced by prisms.

The spectrum formed by a dispersing prism or a dispersing prism system.

Plasma formed by heat radiation from the sun.

Oscillator device composed of a semiconducting diode in a coaxial resonating cavity. When the biasing current is applied to the diode, high-frequency waves are emitted into the cavity where they are...

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), is a manufacturing process that builds three-dimensional objects layer by layer from a digital model. This technology allows the creation of...

A form of roof prism used to invert an image. The prism has faces cut normal to the optical axis; therefore, the prism may be placed within the optical path of a system and invert the image without...

An Abbe-Porro prism, often referred to simply as a Porro prism, is an optical prism used in binoculars and other optical instruments to invert and reverse an image. It is named after the Italian...

An ablative wall flashlamp typically refers to a type of flashlamp used in certain high-energy laser systems. Components include: Flashlamp: This is a device that produces an intense pulse...

The absolute luminance threshold is the lowest luminance level of a light source or illuminated object that can be detected by the human eye under specific conditions. This threshold represents the...

An absorption band is a range of wavelengths, frequencies, or energies in the electromagnetic spectrum within which a substance absorbs radiation. It appears as a dark band in a spectrum where the...

An accelerometer is a sensor or transducer that measures the rate of change of velocity of an object, or in simpler terms, it measures acceleration. Accelerometers are widely used in various...

An achromatic prism is a type of prism designed to separate white light into its component colors (spectrum) without causing chromatic aberration. Unlike regular prisms, which disperse light but also...

Achromatism refers to the optical property of a lens, prism, or optical system that minimizes or eliminates chromatic aberration. Chromatic aberration is the phenomenon where different wavelengths...

Actinism refers to the property of radiation, particularly light, that enables it to produce photochemical effects. This term is derived from the Greek word aktinos, meaning ray. Here are the key...

An active medium is a material or substance used in various optical devices and systems, where it plays a critical role in amplifying light or producing laser beams through the process of stimulated...

In the context of a laser diode, the active region is a critical part of the device where the primary light generation occurs. Laser diode active region: The active region in a laser diode is...

An active-matrix display is a type of flat-panel display technology where each pixel is actively controlled by one or more thin-film transistors (TFTs). This technology is commonly used in liquid...

An active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) is a type of flat-panel display technology that utilizes an array of thin-film transistors (TFTs) to control the individual pixels on the screen. This...

An active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display is a type of flat-panel display technology that combines the active matrix addressing scheme with organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)....

Additive color mixing refers to the process of creating colors by combining different wavelengths of light. In this system, red, green, and blue (RGB) are considered primary colors. By mixing varying...

The additive color process refers to the method of creating color by combining different wavelengths of light. This process is fundamental in various applications, particularly in: ...

An AI system-on-chip (SoC) is an integrated circuit that integrates hardware components optimized for performing AI computations efficiently. These components typically include: AI accelerators:...

An old name for the rotating arm moving about an axis of rotation over a divided circle used to measure angles. Now the term refers to a small stadia telescope mounted over a ruler for use in...

The American Astronomical Society (AAS) is a prominent professional association of astronomers and other scientists dedicated to the study of astronomy and related fields. Founded in 1899, the AAS...

Also known as roof prism. A type of prism designed by G.B. Amici. It consists of a roof edge produced upon the long reflecting face of a right-angle prism. Used as an erecting system in elbow and...

Charged frozen pellets that are rapidly bombarded with a focused high-power laser to form a dense plasma that can be heated and sustained with neutral beams.

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...

An optical device, such as a Nicol prism, capable of producing plane-polarized light, and used for detecting the effect of the object on plane-polarized light produced by the polarizer.

An aptamer is a short, single-stranded DNA or RNA molecule that can bind to a specific target molecule with high affinity and specificity. Aptamers are often referred to as chemical antibodies due to...