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PI Physik Instrumente - Mirorrs for Laser Comm LB LW 7/24
Lasers Dictionary Terms

Brewster angle window
A parallel plate of glass in such a position that the refracted and reflected rays of incident parallel light are mutually...
etalon
An etalon is an optical device that consists of two parallel reflecting surfaces separated by a precise and known distance....
photonic cavity
A photonic cavity, also known as an optical cavity, is a structure that confines electromagnetic radiation within a certain...
photon flux
Photon flux refers to the rate at which photons (particles of light) pass through a unit area per unit time. It is a measure...
Ti:sapphire laser
A Ti:sapphire laser is a type of solid-state laser that utilizes a titanium-doped sapphire crystal as the gain medium. The...
integrated photonics
Integrated photonics is a field of study and technology that involves the integration of optical components, such as lasers,...
thin-film coating
Thin-film coatings are layers of material applied to the surface of an object or substrate, typically to modify its optical,...
ytterbium laser
A ytterbium laser is a type of solid-state laser that employs ytterbium ions (Yb³?) as the dopant in the gain medium....
nonlinear optics
Nonlinear optics is a branch of optics that studies the optical phenomena that occur when intense light interacts with a...
accessible radiation
Accessible radiation refers to the portion of radiation from a source that can be reached or detected by humans,...
color center laser
Certain color centers in the alkali halides have been optically pumped to produce efficient tunable pulsed and...
Q-switching
Q-switching, short for "quenching-switching," is a technique used in lasers to generate short, high-energy pulses of light....
laser active elements
Laser active elements typically refers to the substances or materials within a laser system that play a critical role in the...
Fabry-Perot laser
A laser oscillator in which two mirrors are separated by an amplifying medium with an inverted population, making a...
resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance, which is a phenomenon that occurs when an external force or...
frequency summing
A technique used in holography that involves the mixing of lasers of different wavelengths to produce a beam of shorter...
laser surgery
Laser surgery refers to a medical procedure in which a laser, or focused beam of light, is used as a precision tool to cut,...
infrared light source
An infrared light source is a device that emits light in the infrared spectrum, which lies beyond the visible spectrum of...
recombination radiation
The radiation emitted in semiconductors when electrons in the conduction band recombine with holes in the valence band. If...
aversion response
Eye blink or head movement in response to bright light. Aversion responses such as blinking are sufficient protection from...
diode laser
A diode laser is a type of laser that uses a semiconductor diode as the active medium to generate coherent light....
laser
A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...
blue diode laser
A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...
multiline laser system
A multiline laser system refers to a type of laser that is capable of emitting multiple discrete wavelengths or spectral...
gas laser
One of the first lasers to find practical application. Generally, the pumping mechanism is an electric discharge, although...
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The...
excitation
1. The process by which an atom acquires energy sufficient to raise it to a quantum state higher than its ground state. 2....
nonlinear polarization
Nonlinear polarization refers to the phenomenon where the polarization of a material responds nonlinearly to an applied...
photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are artificial structures or materials designed to manipulate and control the flow of light in a manner...
heat sink
A heat sink for a laser is a device designed to absorb and dissipate the excess heat generated by the laser during...
fusion ignition
Fusion ignition refers to the point in a controlled nuclear fusion reaction where the energy released by the fusion...
exciton
An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically...
slicing and cutting machines - for crystals, quartz, glass, etc.
A crystal, glass, or quartz slicing and cutting machine is a specialized piece of equipment used in the manufacturing...
ammonia maser
An ammonia maser is a device that amplifies microwave radiation using ammonia gas molecules in a process analogous to how...
GaN distributed feedback lasers
GaN (gallium nitride) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers refer to a specific type of semiconductor laser based on Gallium...
pulse compression
A means of achieving higher peak powers and more efficient harmonic generation by narrowing the pulse width and thus...
lithium triborate nonlinear crystal
Lithium triborate (LiB3O5), commonly abbreviated as LBO, is a nonlinear optical crystal widely used in various applications...
beam shaper
A beam shaper is an optical device or system designed to modify the spatial profile or intensity distribution of a laser or...
YAG crystal
A YAG crystal refers to a solid-state crystal made of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), which is a synthetic crystalline...
optical frequency comb
An optical frequency comb is a tool used for measuring frequencies with extremely high precision. It is essentially a...
laser-mediated gene transfer
Laser-mediated gene transfer refers to a technique in molecular biology and genetic engineering that utilizes lasers to...
dye laser
A laser using a dye solution as its active medium. Its output is a short pulse of broad spectral content and its achievable...
pyroelectric pulse detector
A current-source thermal detector used to detect and study the pulses obtained from particular lasers.
pulsed-dye laser
A laser with a gain medium consisting of an organic dye, which is carbon-based. The dye is mixed with a solvent, allowing...
sapphire crystal
Sapphire crystal refers to a transparent, single-crystal form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) known as corundum. It is one of the...
photoconductive antenna
Photoconductive antenna (PCA) is a semiconductor element that generates or detects high-frequency electromagnetic signals....
frequency comb
A frequency comb is a precise and regular series of equally spaced spectral lines, or frequencies, that are generated with...
deep ultraviolet laser
A deep ultraviolet (DUV) laser is a type of laser that emits light in the deep ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic...
photobiomodulation
A light therapy that utilizes nonionizing light sources, including lasers, LEDs, and broadband light, in the visible and...
optical materials
Optical materials refer to substances or compounds specifically chosen for their optical properties and used in the...
ultrafast pulsed laser
An ultrafast pulsed laser is a type of laser that emits extremely short pulses of light with durations typically on the...
mode-locked lasers
Mode-locking is a technique used in lasers to produce ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of picoseconds,...
medical lasers
Medical lasers are devices that produce intense beams of light with specific characteristics and properties, which are used...
excimer laser
An excimer laser is a type of ultraviolet laser that emits short pulses of light in the ultraviolet spectrum. The term...
photodynamic therapy
A medical technology that uses lasers or other light sources in combination with photosensitizing drugs to treat cancerous...
erbium-doped fiber laser
An erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) is a type of laser that uses an optical fiber doped with erbium ions (Er³?) as the...
optical table
An optical table, also known as an optical bench or an optical breadboard, is a specialized platform used in optics...
free-space optics
Free-space optics (FSO), also known as optical wireless communication or optical wireless networking, refers to the...
directed energy
Directed energy refers to a type of energy that is emitted and transferred in a controlled direction. The term is often...
pyroelectric infrared detector
Unlike the thermocouple or bolometer, the pyroelectric infrared detector is a current source with an output proportional to...
isolator
In the context of electronics and optics, an isolator refers to a device that allows the transmission of signals in one...
optical coatings
Optical coatings are thin layers of materials applied to optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, filters, and prisms,...
cold atom
Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to...
mode locking
Mode locking is a technique used in optics and laser physics to generate short pulses of light with extremely high peak...
accessible emission
Accessible emission typically refers to the portion of emitted radiation (light, particles, etc.) from a source that can be...
laser parameters
Laser parameters are the characteristics that define the behavior and performance of a laser. These parameters can be...
laserstrobe
A stroboscopelike apparatus that uses a copper vapor laser to illuminate an object for very short time periods (about 30 ns).
impurity level
In the context of optical materials, the term "impurity level" refers to the presence of foreign atoms or molecules within...
nanophotonics
Nanophotonics is a branch of science and technology that explores the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, typically at...
axial gradient technology
A method of designing lasers whereby the laser rod is cut into elliptical discs and cooled by running water over the disc...
tissue optics
The study of the optical properties of living tissue. Increased understanding of the behavior of light in this varied,...
confocal resonator
A confocal resonator, also known as a confocal cavity or confocal laser resonator, is a type of optical resonator...
photonic integrated circuit
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is a compact and integrated device that incorporates multiple photonic components and...
microscopy
Microscopy is a scientific technique that involves the use of microscopes to observe and study objects that are too small to...
gain-switching
Gain-switching is a technique used in lasers to generate short pulses of light by modulating the gain of the laser medium....
fiber laser
A fiber laser is a type of laser in which the active gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare-earth ions such as...
laser spectroscopy
That part of the science involved in the study of the theory and interpretation of spectra that uses the unique...
stibine gas
The purest gas source of antimony, which is used in the manufacture of compound semiconductors for IR sensors and...
argon-fluoride excimer laser
An argon-fluoride (ArF) excimer laser is a type of ultraviolet laser that operates using a mixture of argon and fluorine...
light source
The generic term applied to all sources of visible radiation from burning matter to ionized vapors and lasers, regardless of...
divergence
1. In optics, the bending of rays away from each other. 2. In lasers, the spreading of a laser beam with increased distance...
whispering gallery mode
Whispering gallery mode (WGM) refers to a phenomenon in wave physics, particularly in optics, where waves, such as light or...
rare earth dopants
Rare earth dopants refer to elements from the lanthanide series, also known as rare earth elements, that are intentionally...
stereolithography
A method of creating real three-dimensional models by using lasers driven by CAD software. In contrast to the normal...
optical cements and adhesive
Optical cements and adhesives are specialized materials used in the assembly and bonding of optical components in optical...
nanopositioning
Nanopositioning refers to the precise and controlled movement or manipulation of objects or components at the nanometer...
Fabry-Perot cavity
An optical resonator in which feedback is accomplished by two parallel planes. In diode lasers, the planes are obtained by...
laser damage threshold
The laser damage threshold refers to the maximum level of laser intensity that a material can withstand without experiencing...
Fresnel number
In a lens, the square of the radius of its aperture divided by the product of the focal length and the wavelength. It...
laser drift
Laser drift typically refers to a phenomenon where the frequency or wavelength of a laser source gradually changes over...
III-V material
In semiconductor physics and materials science, the term "III-V materials" refers to compounds composed of elements from...
free-electron laser
A free-electron laser (FEL) is a type of laser that generates coherent, high-intensity electromagnetic radiation by using a...
mode hopping
Mode hopping in the context of lasers refers to a phenomenon where a laser system abruptly switches from one longitudinal...
saturable absorber
A saturable absorber is a type of optical device that exhibits variable absorption properties depending on the intensity of...
dual-axis laser
Dual-axis laser is a laser device or system capable of emitting laser beams along two orthogonal axes (typically X and Y...
inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a method of achieving nuclear fusion, a process where two atomic nuclei combine to...
indium
Metal used in components of the crystalline semiconductor alloys indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), indium gallium arsenide...
vanadate laser
Lasers based on neodymium-doped yttrium or gadolinium vanadate crystals. These include yttrium vanadate (Nd:YVO4),...
diode-pumped solid-state laser
A diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) is a type of laser system that uses semiconductor diode lasers to pump energy into...
laser controlled area
Area in which laser operation occurs and therefore safety requirements are met and regulations are implemented. Lasers...
laser diode module
A laser diode module is a compact device that incorporates a laser diode, optics, and often other components into a single...
mode beating
In optics, "mode beating" refers to an interference phenomenon that can occur in laser systems with multiple longitudinal...
optical testing instrument
An optical testing instrument is a device or system used to evaluate and measure the performance, quality, and...
laser viewing cards
Laser viewing cards, also known as laser alignment cards or laser safety cards, are specialized cards or sheets designed to...
distributed feedback laser
A distributed feedback laser (DFB laser) is a type of semiconductor laser diode designed to emit coherent, narrow-bandwidth...
laser output
The laser output refers to the generated and emitted light produced by a laser system. This output is characterized by...
interband cascade laser
An interband cascade laser (ICL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on interband transitions between...
active medium
An active medium is a material or substance used in various optical devices and systems, where it plays a critical role in...
embedded laser
The term "embedded laser" typically refers to a laser device that is integrated or embedded into a larger system or...
photonic computer
A type of computer in which the electronic circuits, which process data serially, are replaced by photonic circuits capable...
isotopically selected laser spectroscopy
A spectroscopic technique in which an excitation band absorbs laser energy resulting in an electronic transition. The...
transverse mode
In the context of optics and lasers, a transverse mode refers to a specific spatial pattern of the electric field within the...
repetitively pulsed laser
A pulsed laser that emits a recurring pulsed output. Frequency of the pulses emitted is known as pulsed recurrence frequency...
picosecond pulse
A pulse having extremely short duration, about 10-13 to 10-10 s, that is produced by mode locking of wide-bandwidth lasers,...
picosecond spectroscopy
A method of measuring complex sequential photosynthetic reactions by varying the pulse time and wavelength of light...
fiber Bragg grating
A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is a type of optical filter that is inscribed or "written" into the core of an optical fiber. It...
swept-source laser
A swept-source laser, also known as a wavelength-swept laser, is a type of laser that rapidly and continuously changes its...
quantum cascade laser
A quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a type of semiconductor laser that operates based on the principles of quantum mechanics....
GaAlAs laser
A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic...
continuous wave
Continuous wave (CW) refers to a type of signal or transmission where the signal is constant and does not vary with time. In...
photonic engine
A photonic engine refers to a device or system that utilizes photonics, or the science and technology of generating,...
spectral flow cytometry
Spectral flow cytometry is an advanced flow cytometry technique that expands the capabilities of traditional flow cytometry...
diffraction grating
A diffraction grating is an optical component consisting of a surface with a periodic structure of equally spaced, parallel...
Er:YAG laser
An Er:YAG laser is a type of solid-state laser that uses a crystal made of erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet...
laser peening
Laser peening is a surface enhancement technique used to improve the mechanical properties of materials, particularly...
transversely excited atmosphere carbon dioxide laser
Abbreviated TEA CO2 laser. A gas laser that provides shorter pulses and higher peak powers than conventional CO2 lasers. The...
gallium antimonide
A binary semiconductor compound used as a substrate or active layer for diode lasers.
optical accumulator
An optical accumulator is a concept or device that collects and stores optical energy or data for subsequent use. This can...
laser trimming
The use of lasers in tailoring of such components as thin-film resistors. The process improves speed and accuracy.
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter...
indium phosphide
Indium phosphide (InP) is a compound semiconductor material composed of indium (In) and phosphorus (P). It belongs to the...
Nd:YAG laser
Nd:YAG laser refers to a solid-state laser that utilizes neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:Y3Al5O12) as the gain...
mode sweeping
A form of laser output noise that is caused by thermal, mechanical, or acoustical disturbances of the cavity length. Mode...
optoacoustic
Optoacoustic, or photoacoustic, refers to a phenomenon and related techniques that involve the generation of acoustic waves...
optical memory
Optical memory is a type of data storage technology that uses light to read and write information. It typically involves the...
laser cavity
A laser cavity, also known as an optical cavity or resonator, is a fundamental component of a laser system. It is a confined...
distributed Bragg reflector
A device similar to distributed feedback lasers in construction and operation, but in which the period grating that produces...
laser marking
Laser marking is a process in which a laser beam is used to mark or engrave a surface by altering its properties or...
roughening laser
A roughening laser is a laser-based surface modification technique aimed at altering the surface texture of a material to...
terahertz spectrometer
A terahertz spectrometer is a scientific instrument used to measure and analyze the properties of materials in the terahertz...
scribing
The process of perforating a silicon or ceramic substrate with a series of tiny holes along which it will break. Nd:YAG or...
laser crystal
A laser crystal, also known as an active medium or gain medium, is a solid-state material used in the construction of...
volume Bragg gratings
Volume Bragg gratings (VBGs) are specialized optical elements that consist of periodic variations in refractive index...
flow cytometry
Flow cytometry is a powerful technique used in biology and medicine for the quantitative analysis of the physical and...
integram
A reflection hologram using multiple color lasers that integrates various graphical techniques to allow the display of...
optical nonlinearity
The phenomenon that makes nonlinear the mathematical expression for the electrical polarization of a medium through which...
alexandrite lasers
An alexandrite laser is a solid-state laser that utilizes a synthetic crystal made from the rare earth element alexandrite...
gallium aluminum arsenide
A crystalline semiconductor alloy used as the light confinement layer in both single- and double-heterostructure diode...
scintillation
1. The variation in intensity of a light beam as it travels through the atmosphere. 2. In radiation physics, a light flash...
neodymium glass
Glass containing small quantities of neodymium oxide that is used as a filter plate in color television or as a lasing...
xenon flashtube
A high-intensity source of incoherent white light in which a capacitor is discharged through a tube of xenon gas; often used...
uniformly redundant array
Array used in coded-aperture imaging experiments with two-beam CO2 lasers that provide an artifact-free process, faithful...
quantum well
A quantum well is a structure in quantum mechanics that confines particles, such as electrons or holes, in one spatial...
temporal coherence
A characteristic of laser output, calculated by dividing the speed of light by the linewidth of the laser beam. The temporal...
holmium laser
Holmium lasers are a type of medical laser that utilizes holmium-doped crystals as the gain medium. The term holmium laser...
pump laser
A pump laser is a type of laser used to provide the necessary energy to the gain medium of another laser or laser system,...
dense wavelength division multiplexing
Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) is an optical communication technique used to increase the data-carrying...
helium-neon laser
A helium-neon (HeNe) laser is a type of gas laser that emits visible red light at a wavelength of 632.8 nm. It operates...
lattice
In photonics, a lattice refers to a periodic arrangement of optical elements or structures, often on a microscopic or...
double-clad fiber
Double-clad fiber (DCF) is a specialized optical fiber that features two concentric cladding layers surrounding a core. The...
gallium arsenide phosphide
Gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) is a semiconductor alloy composed of gallium (Ga), arsenic (As), and phosphorus (P). It...
time-averaged holography
Although low in sensitivity (approximately 10-7 m for helium-neon lasers), this holographic technique permits quantitative...
femtosecond laser
A femtosecond laser is a type of laser that emits ultrashort pulses of light with durations on the order of femtoseconds,...
solid-state laser
A solid-state laser is a type of laser that uses a solid gain medium (as opposed to a liquid or gas) to produce coherent...
dBm
Decibels referenced to one milliwatt; often used to specify power ratings for semiconductor diode lasers.
multiple laser sequence
Also known as gatling gun laser. A system that has an array of lasers sharing a common central axis on a rotating Fabry...
q-switched operation
Q-switched operation, or q-switching, is a technique used in lasers to produce short and intense pulses of light. The term...
metal vapor laser
Devices in which the lasing medium is a vapor of metal atoms or ions, sometimes mixed with another gas. Metal vapor lasers...

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