Photonics Dictionary: S

1. A device used to trace out an object and build up an image. One of the most common of these types is video scanning. The scanning takes place inside the television tube as electrons, guided by...

Vision by means of retinal rods; vision of the dark-adapted eye. In scotopic vision, the level of luminance is so low that the retinal cones are not stimulated, and there is no color vision.

Three filters used in making a color print of a color negative, red, green and blue-violet, respectively. Each filter transmits about one-third of the visible spectrum onto the print.

The combination of two waves having the same frequency and amplitude and traveling in opposite directions. Standing waves are indicated by a stationary set of nodes spaced one-half wavelength apart...

The unit solid angle subtended at the center of a sphere by an area on its surface equivalent to the square of the radius; the unit of solid angular measurement, often used in problems of...

A rangefinder similar to a pair of binoculars with a long base, a dot or other wander mark provided in each eyepiece field, together forming an apparent point in space. When one dot is moved...

Cyan, magenta and yellow. They are called subtractive because they each subtract one color by absorbtion and reflect the two others of the red, green, blue color primaries. Cyan absorbs red, magenta...