aberration

en-noun

aberration (countable and uncountable, plural aberrations)

/ˌæb.əˈɹeɪ.ʃn̩/

A learned borrowing from Latin aberrātiō(n) (“relief, diversion”), first attested in 1594, from aberrō (“wander away, go astray”), from ab (“away”) + errō (“wander”). Compare French aberration. By surface analysis, aberrat(e) + -ion.

абера́ция

astronomy: small periodical change of position of heavenly bodies

(optics) The convergence to different foci, by a lens or mirror, of rays of light emanating from one and the same point, or the deviation of such rays from a single focus; a defect in a focusing mechanism that prevents the intended focal point.


acceptance

en-noun

acceptance (countable and uncountable, plural acceptances)

* First attested in 1574. From Middle French acceptance, from Old French accepter (“accept”). Equivalent to accept + -ance.


lens

lens (plural lenses or (obsolete) lens or (rare) lentes)

lenses (plural)
lens (obsolete plural)
lentes (plural rare)

→ Bengali: লেন্স (lenś)

→ Turkish: lens

Borrowed from Latin lēns (“lentil”), with Medieval Latin later taking on the sense of “lens”, a semantic loan from Arabic عَدْسَة (ʕadsa, “lentil; optic lens”).

semantic loan

Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus. That’s because the lenses that are excellent at magnifying tiny subjects produce a narrow depth of field.

2013 July-August, Catherine Clabby, “Focus on Everything”, in American Scientist:

(optics) An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.

lente

object focusing or defocusing the light passing through it


pencil

Tok Pisin: pensil

→ Bole: pensur

→ Central Dusun: pinsil

→ Central Melanau: pisil

→ Dhivehi: ފަންސުރު (fan̊suru)

desc

→ Gulf Arabic: بِنْسِل (pinsil, binsil) (obsolete)

→ Hausa: fensir

→ Hindi: पेंसिल (pensil), पेन्सिल (pensil)

→ Iban: pinsil

→ Indonesian: pènsil

→ Maguindanao: pinsil

or via Tok Pisin <i class="Latn mention" lang="tpi">pensil</i>

→ Maia: pensil (or via Tok Pisin pensil)

→ Malay: pensel

→ Malayalam: പെൻസിൽ (peṉsil)

→ Marshallese: pinjeļ

→ Pennsylvania German: Bensil

→ Scottish Gaelic: peansail

→ Swahili: penseli

→ Swazi: ípénseli

→ Tagalog: pensil

→ Tausug: pinsil

→ Telugu: పెన్సిలు (pensilu)

→ Welsh: pensil, pensel

→ Xhosa: ípénsile

→ Yoruba: pẹ́ńsù

From Anglo-Norman and Old French pincil (see the variant pincel, which gave rise to Modern French pinceau (“paintbrush”)), from Latin pēnicillum, diminutive of pēniculus (“brush”), itself a diminutive of pēnis (“tail; penis”). Not related to pen.

(optics) An aggregate or collection of rays of light, especially when diverging from, or converging to, a point.


AA

en-noun

AA (countable and uncountable, plural AAs)

(optics) Initialism of angular aperture.


achromatism

the achromatism of a lens

(optics) The state or quality of being achromatic; achromaticity.


flat

From Middle English flat, a borrowing from Old Norse flatr (compare Norwegian and Swedish flat, Danish flad), from Proto-Germanic *flataz, from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“flat”); akin to Saterland Frisian flot (“smooth”), German Flöz (“a geological layer”), Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús), Latvian plats, Sanskrit प्रथस् (prathas, “extension”). Doublet of plat and pleyt.
The noun is from Middle English flat (“level piece of ground, flat edge of a weapon”), from the adjective.
The algebraic sense was coined by Serre in a 1956 paper, originally as French plat.

inh

"When sampling the aperture of a telescope, using auto-collimating flats (ACFs) is more economical"

2013 April 1, Spechler et al., “Advanced Dispersed Fringe Sensing Algorithm for Coarse Phasing Segmented Mirror Telescopes”, in NASA Tech Briefs, retrieved 2021-12-27:


polyhedron

en-noun

polyhedron (plural polyhedra or polyhedrons)

From New Latin polyedron, from Ancient Greek πολύεδρος (polúedros, “having many seats”), from πολυ- (polu-, “many”) + ἕδρα (hédra, “seat”); compare French polyèdre. By surface analysis, poly- + -hedron.

der

quasiregular polyhedronArchimedean solidCatalan solid

regular polyhedronKepler-Poinsot polyhedronPlatonic solidcube

semiregular polyhedronantiprismArchimedean solidCatalan soliddipyramidprismtrapezohedron

List of uniform polyhedra on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

(optics) A polyscope, or multiplying glass.


meniscus

From Ancient Greek μηνίσκος (mēnískos, “crescent”), from μήνη (mḗnē, “moon”).

uder

(optics) A lens which is convex on one side and concave on the other, being crescent-shaped in cross-section.


virtual

/ˈvɜːt͡ʃʊəl/

/ˈvɜɹt͡ʃuəl/

/ˈvɵːt͡ʃuəl/

PIE word
 *wiHrós
The adjective is derived from Middle English vertual, virtual [and other forms], from Old French vertüal, vertüelle (modern French virtuel), or from their etymon Medieval Latin virtuālis (“of or pertaining to potency or power; having power to produce an effect, potent; morally virtuous”), from Latin virtūs (“goodness, virtue; manliness, virility”) (from vir (“adult male, man”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós (“man”), possibly from *weyh₁- (“to chase, hunt, pursue”)) + -tūs (suffix forming collective or abstract nouns)) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship), modelled after virtuōsus (“good, virtuous”).
Sense 4 (“pertaining to a theoretical infinitesimal velocity in a mechanical system that does not violate the system’s constraints”) is borrowed from French virtuel, from Middle French virtuel, from Old French vertüal, vertüelle: see above.
The noun is derived from the adjective.
Cognates
* French virtuel
* Italian virtuale
* Spanish virtual

der

(optics) Chiefly in virtual focus: of a focus or point: from which light or other radiation apparently emanates; also, of an image: produced by light that appears to diverge from a point beyond the reflecting or refracting surface.

vale-

of a focus or point: from which light or other radiation apparently emanates; of an image: produced by light that appears to diverge from a point beyond the reflecting or refracting surface


achromatic

en-adj

achromatic (comparative more achromatic, superlative most achromatic)

more achromatic (comparative)
most achromatic (superlative)

From Ancient Greek ἀχρωμάτιστος (akhrōmátistos, “uncolored”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + χρῶμα (khrôma, “color”), equivalent to a- + chromatic; compare French achromatique.

der

ἀχρωμάτιστος

(optics) Free from color; transmitting light without color-related distortion.


achromaticity

(optics) The state or quality of being achromatic.


focus

en-noun

focus (countable and uncountable, plural foci or focuses or focusses)

foci (plural)
focuses (plural)
focusses (plural)

Borrowed from Latin focus (“hearth, fireplace”); see there for more. Doublet of fuel.
Kepler introduced the term into mathematics and the sciences in describing elliptical orbits of planets (quote from Nicholas Mee) :
"One of the interesting properties of an ellipse is that if there were a light bulb at one focus, then all the light that it emits would reflect off the ellipse and converge at the other focus. This is why Kepler originally used the name focus for these points."

bor+

The heat of sunlight at the focus of a magnifying glass can easily set dry leaves on fire.

(countable, optics) A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.


focus

en-verb

focus (third-person singular simple present focuses or focusses, present participle focusing or focussing, simple past and past participle focused or focussed)

focuses (present singular third-person)
focusses (present singular third-person)
focusing (participle present)
focussing (participle present)
focused (participle past)
focused (past)
focussed (participle past)
focussed (past)

You'll need to focus the microscope carefully in order to capture the full detail of this surface.

(transitive, optics) To adjust (a lens, an optical instrument) in order to position an image with respect to the focal plane.

фокусирам

(transitive, optics) to adjust (a lens, an optical instrument)

I can't get the lens to focus.

The camera focuses automatically on the subject's eyes.

(intransitive, optics, of a lens, optical instrument, etc.) To adjust itself or be adjusted such that light from a scene converges appropriately to create a clear image.

фокуси́роваться

(intransitive, optics) To adjust itself or be adjusted such that light from a scene converges appropriately


aperture

/ˈæp.ɚˌt͡ʃʊɹ/

/ˈæp.ɚ.t͡ʃɚ/

/ˈæp.ɚˌtjʊɹ/

-æpə(ɹ)tʃʊə(ɹ)

From late Middle English, from Latin apertūra (“an opening”), from aperiō (“to uncover, make or lay bare”) + -tūra (“-ure”, action noun suffix). Doublet of overture.

stralingsvlak

hole restricting the diameter of the lightpath through one plane

апертура

refers to the opening itself, not to the device

(optics) A hole which restricts the diameter of the lightpath through one plane in an optical system.

This telescope has a 100 cm aperture.

(astronomy, photography) The diameter of such a hole which restricts the width of the lightpath through the whole system. For a telescope, this is the diameter of the objective lens.


vertex

Late Middle English, borrowed from Latin vertex (“whirl, eddy; top, crown, peak, summit”). Doublet of vortex.

der

Mathworld article on vertices of polyhedra

Mathworld article on vertices of polygons

(optics) The point where the surface of a lens crosses the optical axis.

keskipiste

point where the surface of an optical element crosses the optical axis


RF

en-noun

RF (countable and uncountable, plural RFs)

(optics, imaging, photography) Abbreviation of radiance field.


coma

Borrowed from Latin coma (“hair of the head”), from Ancient Greek κόμη (kómē, “hair”).

(optics) A defect characterized by diffuse, pear-shaped images that in an ideal image would appear as points.

彗差

Defect characterized by diffuse, pear-shaped images


glory

glory (countable and uncountable, plural glories)

From Middle English glory, glorie, from Old French glorie (“glory”), from Latin glōria (“glory, fame, renown, praise, ambition, boasting”). Doublet of gloria. Displaced native Old English wuldor.

der

(meteorology, optics) An optical phenomenon, consisting of concentric rings and somewhat similar to a rainbow, caused by sunlight or moonlight interacting with the water droplets that compose mist or clouds, centered on the antisolar or antilunar point.


plenoptic

Coined circa 1991, Latin plenus (“full”) + optic.

(optics) Of or relating to all the light, travelling in every direction, in a given space.

plénoptique

of or relating to all the light, travelling in every direction, in a given space


complement

en-noun

complement (countable and uncountable, plural complements)

From Middle English complement, from Latin complēmentum (“that which fills up or completes”), from compleō (“I fill up, I complete”) (English complete). Doublet of compliment. The verb is from the noun.

der

The complement of blue is orange.

(optics) The color which, when mixed with the given color, gives black (for mixing pigments) or white (for mixing light).


chromatic

en-adj

chromatic (not generally comparable, comparative more chromatic, superlative most chromatic)

more chromatic (comparative)
most chromatic (superlative)

Borrowed from French chromatique (“chromatic”) or directly from its etymon Latin chrōmaticus, from Ancient Greek χρωματικός (khrōmatikós, “relating to colour; one of the three types of tetrachord in Greek music”), from χρῶμα (khrôma, “colour; pigment; chromatic scale in music; music”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to grind; to rub; to stroke; to remove”), perhaps in the sense of the grinding of pigments) + -τῐκός (-tĭkós, suffix forming adjectives); analysable as chroma + -tic.

der

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-chromatic.wav

(not comparable, optics) Having the capacity to separate spectral colours by refraction.


positive crystal

en-noun

positive crystal (plural positive crystals)

(optics) A doubly refracting crystal in which the index of refraction for the extraordinary ray is greater than for the ordinary ray, and the former is refracted nearer to the axis than the latter, such as quartz and ice; as opposed to negative crystal: one in which this characteristic is reversed, such as Iceland spar or tourmaline.


diaphragm

/ˈdaɪəˌfɹæm/

From Ancient Greek διάφραγμα (diáphragma, “partition”), from διά (diá, “across”) and φράγμα (phrágma, “barrier”), from the verb φράσσω (phrássō).

мембра́на

anatomy: separating membrane or sheet of muscle

(optics, photography) A thin opaque structure with a central aperture, used to limit the passage of light into a camera or similar device.

диафра́гма

optics: structure with a central aperture used to limit the passage of light


diaphragm

en-verb

diaphragm (third-person singular simple present diaphragms, present participle diaphragming, simple past and past participle diaphragmed)

diaphragms (present singular third-person)
diaphragming (participle present)
diaphragmed (participle past)
diaphragmed (past)

/ˈdaɪəˌfɹæm/

He employs an equatorial with an object-glass having a focal length of five metres, and which was diaphragmed down to eight centimetres.

1870, D. Appleton & Co., Appletons' Annual Cyclopædia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1869, page 43:

(optics, photography) To reduce lens aperture using an optical diaphragm.


resolve

resolve (third-person singular simple present resolves, present participle resolving, simple past and past participle resolved)

resolves (present singular third-person)
resolving (participle present)
resolved (participle past)
resolved (past)

From Middle English resolven, from Old French resolver, a learned borrowing of Latin resolvō (“loosen, thaw, melt, resolve”), equivalent to re- + solve. Piecewise doublet of re-solve.

sulattaa

to melt; to dissolve; to liquefy or soften

The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.

2013 July-August, Fenella Saunders, “Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture”, in American Scientist:

(optics) To render visible or distinguishable the parts of something.


saturate

en-verb

saturate (third-person singular simple present saturates, present participle saturating, simple past and past participle saturated)

saturates (present singular third-person)
saturating (participle present)
saturated (participle past)
saturated (past)

/ˈsæt͡ʃəˌɹeɪt/

Borrowed from Latin saturātus, perfect passive participle of saturāre (“to fill full”), from satur (“full”).

(transitive, optics) To render pure, or of a colour free from white light.


intensity

en-noun

intensity (countable and uncountable, plural intensities)

From intense + -ity. Cf. also Medieval Latin intensitas.

(optics) Can mean any of radiant intensity, luminous intensity or irradiance.


caustic

From the Latin causticus (“burning”), from Ancient Greek καυστικός (kaustikós, “burning”), from καυστός (kaustós, “burnt”) + -ικός (-ikós).

suffix

(optics, computer graphics) The envelope of reflected or refracted rays of light for a given surface or object.


caustic curve

Caustic curves and surfaces are called catacaustic when formed by reflection, and diacaustic when formed by refraction.

(optics) A curve to which the ray of light, reflected or refracted by another curve, are tangents, the reflecting or refracting curve and the luminous point being in one plane.


caustic surface

en-noun

caustic surface (plural caustic surfaces)

(optics) A surface to which rays reflected or refracted by another surface are tangents.


distortion

distortion (countable and uncountable, plural distortions)

/dɪsˈtɔːʃən/

Borrowed from Latin distortio, distortionis, from distortus.

bor+

(optics) An aberration that causes magnification to change over the field of view.


concavo-convex

en-adj

concavo-convex (comparative more concavo-convex, superlative most concavo-convex)

more concavo-convex (comparative)
most concavo-convex (superlative)

Coordinate term: concavoconcave

(optics) Having one side concave and the other convex.

凹凸

having one side concave and the other convex


albedo

en-noun

albedo (countable and uncountable, plural albedos or albedoes)

Borrowed from Latin albēdō (“whiteness”).

bor+

For track, painting rails white at weak points that are more prone to buckling (where the 'critical rail temperature' is close to the 'stress free temperature' [...]) increases their albedo and can help slow how quickly they heat up, reducing their temperature by perhaps five degrees or so.

2022 August 10, Gareth Dennis, “How can we run trains when the heat is on?”, in RAIL, number 963, page 45:

(physics, meteorology, astronomy, optics) The fraction of incident light or radiation reflected by a surface or body, commonly expressed as a percentage.


biconcave

a biconcave lens

the biconcave vertebrae

Red blood cells are biconcave.

(optics, anatomy) Having both sides that are concave.


dichromatic

en-adj

dichromatic (comparative more dichromatic, superlative most dichromatic)

more dichromatic (comparative)
most dichromatic (superlative)

From di- + Ancient Greek χρῶμα (khrôma, “color”) + -ic.

(optics) having two hues, either of which may be visible depending on both the concentration of the absorbing substance and the depth or thickness of the medium traversed, such as in pumpkin seed oil. A form of polychromatism.

(optics) exhibiting dichroism; dichroic.


focal point

(optics) A focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge.

կիզակետ

(optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge


optic

Borrowed from Middle French optique or Medieval Latin opticus, from Ancient Greek ὀπτῐκός (optĭkós, “of or for sight”), from ὀπτός (optós, “visible”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, “-ic”, adjectival suffix).

af

(optics, relational) Of, or relating to optics or optical instruments.

оптичен

of or relating to optics or optical instruments


optic

2013, Fenella Saunders, “Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4, →DOI, page 270:

(optics) A lens or other part of an optical instrument that interacts with light.


meridional ray

(optics) A ray that passes through the axis of the optical fiber.


etendue

Borrowed from French étendue (“area, expanse; size; extent, range, scale”), short for étendue géométrique (“geometric extent”).

bor

The topics include […] carefully outlining the concepts of etendue, finesse, and their theoretical implications; methods of spectral, spatial, temporal, and polarization discrimination; and application of these topics to search and track systems.

1966, “Advanced Infrared Technology [course title]”, in The University of Michigan Engineering Summer Conferences: Fundamentals of Infrared Technology, June 6–10, 1966; Advanced Infrared Technology, June 27 – July 1, 1966; Precision Radiometry – Calibration and Instrumentation, June 27 – July 1, 1966: Three Intensive One-week Courses for: Engineers, Scientists (University of Michigan Official Publication), volume 67, number 115, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, →OCLC:

The light power transmitted to the detector is proportional to the product of the solid angle #92;mathit#123;#92;Omega#125; and area A in the central plane, which is imaged by the lens onto the aperture (often called the étendue U).

2003, Wolfgang Demtröder, “Spectroscopic Instrumentation”, in Laser Spectroscopy: Basic Concepts and Instrumentation (Advanced Texts in Physics), 3rd edition, Berlin: Springer-Verlag, →DOI, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 149:

Etendue is an optical invariant and is called by many different names. One of the names is "light-gathering power." As implied by this terminology, when light enters an optical system with smaller etendue from another optical system with larger etendue, the former optical system fails to transmit some part of the light. […] Therefore, a given EUV [extreme ultraviolet] power with a larger etendue than that of the requirement is substantially equivalent to a smaller EUV power with the etendue of the requirement.

2006, Kazuya Ota, Yukata Watanabe, Vadim Banine, Hans Franken, “EUV Source Requirements for EUV Lithography”, in Vivek Bakshi, editor, EUV Sources for Lithography, Bellingham, Wash.: SPIE Press, →ISBN, section 2.2.6 (Etendue of Source Output and Positioning Stability), pages 36–37:

(optics) A conserved property of the light in an optical system which characterizes how "spread out" the light is in terms of angle and area: it is the product of its cross-sectional area (normal to the direction of propagation) and the solid angle it subtends.


dispersion

en-noun

dispersion (countable and uncountable, plural dispersions)

/dɪˈspɜːʒən/

From Middle English dispersioun, from Old French dispersion, from Latin dispersiō.

(optics) The separation of visible light by refraction or diffraction.

разсейване

optics: separation of visible light to its component frequencies


focal length

(optics) A measure of how strongly an optical system converges or diverges light, the inverse of optical power. In the simple case of a single convex lens, it is the distance along the optical axis from the principal plane of the lens to the lens's focal point (where, for instance, the film would be placed in a camera). For more complex or multi-element optical systems, focal length need not correspond to any obvious measurable physical distance.


pseudoscope

One could easily do this with stereo photographs, but one could also do it by making a pseudoscope, with a short cardboard tube and mirrors, […]

2001, Oliver Sacks, Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood:

(optics) An optical instrument that reverses perception of depth.


achromatic lens

achromatic lens (plural achromatic lenses)

chromatic aberration
chromatic aberration

(optics) A lens generally composed of two separate lenses, one convex and one concave and generally of different materials, in such a way that the chromatic aberration produced by one is corrected by the other.


LF

LF (countable and uncountable, plural LFs)

(optics, imaging, photography) Abbreviation of light field.


prism

→ Japanese: プリズム (purizumu)

→ Korean: 프리즘 (peurijeum)

→ Thai: ปริซึม (bprí-sʉ̂m)

[ˈpʰɹ̠̊ɪzm̩]

Learned borrowing from Late Latin prisma (“(geometry) prism”), from Ancient Greek πρίσμᾰ (prísmă, “anything sawn; sawdust; (Koine, geometry) prism”), from πρῐ́ζω (prĭ́zō) (a variant of πρῑ́ω (prī́ō, “to saw”), further etymology unknown) + -μᾰ (-mă, suffix forming neuter nouns denoting the effect or result of an action, etc.).

prizëm

transparent block used to reflect or refract light

[page 13] One of theſe Parts [of a piece of black paper] I painted vvith a red Colour and the other vvith a blevv. […] This Paper I vievved through a Priſm of ſolid Glaſs, vvhoſe tvvo Sides through vvhich the Light paſſed to the Eye vvere plane and vvell poliſhed, and contained an Angle of about Sixty Degrees: vvhich Angle I call the refracting Angle of the Priſm. […] [page 17] Theſe Experiments may ſuffice for the Colours of Natural Bodies. For in the Colours made by the Refraction of Priſms this Propoſition vvill appear by the Experiments vvhich are novv to follovv in the next Propoſition.

1704, I[saac] N[ewton], “[The First Book of Opticks. Part I.] Prop[osition] I. Theor[y] I. Lights which Differ in Colour, Differ also in Degrees of Refrangibility.”, in Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light. […], London: […] Sam[uel] Smith, and Benj[amin] Walford, printers to the Royal Society, […], →OCLC, pages 13 and 17:

Here, avvful [Isaac] Newton, the diſſolving clouds / Form, fronting on the ſun, thy ſhovvery priſm; / And to the ſage-inſtructed eye unfold / The various tvvine of light, by thee diſclos'd / From the vvhite mingling maze.

a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC, page 10, lines 207–211:

(geometry) A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides.

(optics) A transparent block in the shape of a prism (sense 1), typically with triangular ends, used to reflect or refract light.

The beams, that thro' the Oriel shine, / Make prisms in every carven glass, […]

1842, Alfred Tennyson, “The Day-Dream”, in Poems. […], volume II, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 151:

(archaic) A spectrum produced by light being refracted through a prism.


astigmatism

en-noun

astigmatism (countable and uncountable, plural astigmatisms)

From a- (negative prefix) + stem of Ancient Greek στίγμα (stígma, “mark, point”) + -ism. Coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1846.

coin

(optics) A defect of a lens such that light rays coming from a point do not meet at a focal point so that the image is blurred.


refract

en-verb

refract (third-person singular simple present refracts, present participle refracting, simple past and past participle refracted)

refracts (present singular third-person)
refracting (participle present)
refracted (participle past)
refracted (past)

From Latin refrāctum, neuter form of refrāctus, the past participle of refringō, itself from re- (“again”) + frangō (“I break”).

A prism can refract light.

(transitive, optics) To cause (light) to change direction as a result of entering a different medium.


throughput

en-noun

throughput (countable and uncountable, plural throughputs)


Snell's law

For Willebrord van Roijen Snell, Dutch mathematician.

(optics) the law that, for a ray incident on the interface of two media, the sine of the angle of incidence times the index of the refraction of the first medium is equal to the sine of the angle of refraction times the index of refraction of the second medium


angle of incidence

angle of incidence (plural angles of incidence)

(optics, physics) The angle that a straight line, ray of light, etc., meeting a surface, makes with a normal to the surface at the point of meeting.

tulokulma

angle that a straight line makes with the normal of a surface


hot spot

пизэке

place notable for a high level of activity or danger

A location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas.

(optics) Synonym of heiligenschein (“an optical phenomenon which creates a bright spot around the shadow of the viewer's head, when the surface on which the shadow falls has special optical characteristics”)


apochromatic

spherical aberration
spherical aberration

(optics) Corrected for both chromatic aberration and spherical aberration

apokromaattinen

corrected for both chromatic aberration and spherical aberration


optical flat

(optics) A disk of high-quality quartz glass having at least one side ground and polished with a deviation in flatness less than 50 nanometers all over, and a surface quality of 5 microfinish or less; used, in an interferometer, to measure the flatness of other surfaces.


isochromatic

(optics) Having the same colour or wavelength.


chromatic aberration

chromatic aberration (plural chromatic aberrations)

/kɹoʊˈmæ.tɪk ˌæb.əˈɹeɪ.ʃn̩/

/kɹəˈmæ.tɪk ˌæb.əˈɹeɪ.ʃn̩/

(optics) An optical aberration in which an image has coloured fringes, caused by differential refraction of light of different wavelengths.


photovisual

(optics) Of certain achromatic lenses, having the same focus for the actinic and for the brightest of the visual rays.


spherometer

More precisely, a spherometer directly measures a sagitta (distance between a point and a chord), allowing the radius of curvature to be calculated.

(optics) A device used to measure the curvature of a surface, such as a lens.


glistening

(optics) A fluid-filled microvacuole within a lens.


Hubble

(space flight, optics) A space telescope or spy satellite with a design like the Hubble Space Telescope.


opacity

opacity (countable and uncountable, plural opacities)

From opaque + -ity, from French opacité, from Latin opacitas.

The opacity of a clean glass window is near zero.

(optics, countable) A measure of relative impenetrability to electromagnetic radiation such as light.


laser eye surgery

laser eye surgery (countable and uncountable, plural laser eye surgeries)

(optics) A procedure to correct the vision by reshaping the cornea using a laser.


pellicle

From Latin pellicula, from pellis (“skin”). Doublet of pellicule.

(optics) A thin plastic membrane used as a beam splitter or protective cover.


brewster

stress optical coefficient
stress optical coefficient

(optics) A unit of stress optical coefficient which is equal to 10⁻¹² m²/N or 10⁻¹² Pa⁻¹. Symbol: B.


anisoplanatism

(optics) The absence of spatial invariance over an extended field of view


condenser

(optics) A lens (or combination of lenses) designed to gather light and focus it onto a specimen or part of a mechanism.


adaptive optics

(astronomy, optics) An optical system in telescopes that reduces atmospheric distortion by dynamically measuring and correcting wavefront aberrations in real time, often by using a deformable mirror.


nanophotonics

(physics, optics) The science that studies the behaviour of light, and of optical devices, on a nanometre scale.


comatic

(optics) Of or pertaining to coma (the distortion of a lens).


convex lens

(optics) A lens having at least one convex surface, such that light passing through it may be brought to a focus.


field of view

(optics) The angular extent of what can be seen, either with the eye or with an optical instrument or camera.


confocal

(optics, mathematics) Having the same foci


conformal optics

(optics) A method of designing optical systems in which the conformation of the lenses is chosen to optimize its interaction with the local environment


hyperlens

(optics) A nanostructured metamaterial that produces magnified images of objects smaller than the wavelength of the light used


instrumental width

instrumental width (plural instrumental widths)

(optics) The width of a fringe formed in monochromatic light.


diffuser

Along the sofa every three and a half feet, fluorescent tubes glow through translucent plastic diffusers.

2008 January 24, “In a Town Known for Light, a House With Very Little”, in New York Times:

(optics) Any device that or spreads out or scatters light, making the light appear softer.


trifocals

From tri- + focal (see focus). Coined by John Isaac Hawkins, their inventor, in 1826.

(optics) Spectacles with corrective lenses that have three different powers per eye.


Nicol prism

Invented in 1828 by William Nicol (1770–1851) of Edinburgh.

“You are in mortal danger,” declared their Scientific Officer, Dr. Counterfly, a scholarly sort, bearded and bundled like the rest of them, his eyes concealed by a pair of ingenious goggles, whose lenses proved to be matched pairs of Nicol prisms which could be rotated so as to control precisely the amount of light admitted to each eye.

2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 155:

(optics) An optical device used to generate polarized light.


aspecular

The sample was measured using a multi-angle spectrophotometer, which is capable of measuring each sample under four aspecular angles.

(optics, in surface gloss measurements) Subtended at the origin by the specular axis and the axis of the receiver.


achromat

(optics) A lens that imparts little color; a lens that is achromatic.


catadioptrics

(optics) The construction and use of catadioptric lenses and systems


catadioptric

(optics) Of or pertaining to optical systems that employ both reflective (catoptric) and refractive (dioptric) and elements.


aplanat

For comparison, an aplanat of a focus catalogued at 16 inches, actually found by experiment to have a focus of 16 11-16 inches, was used.

1894, W. K. Burton, “The Zeiss Anastigmatic Lenses”, in Julius F. Sachse, editor, American Journal of Photography, Volume XV, page 4:

2009, Gérard René Lemaitre, Astronomical Optics and Elasticity Theory, Springer, Astronomy and Astrophysics Library, Corrected 3rd printing, page 11,
[…] which is totally false since he established the algebraic conditions for thin-lens achromatic aplanats;

Some infra-red detectors are sold already embedded in a plastic aplanat.

2014, J. F. James, An Introduction to Practical Laboratory Optics, Cambridge University Press, page 171:

(optics) A lens that has been corrected for spherical aberration and coma in order to produce a rectilinear image.

aplanat

lens corrected for spherical aberration and coma


aplanatic

en-adj

aplanatic (comparative more aplanatic, superlative most aplanatic)

more aplanatic (comparative)
most aplanatic (superlative)

(optics, of an optical system) Free from, or corrected for, spherical aberration and chromatic aberration

aplanétique

free from, or corrected for, spherical aberration and chromatic aberration


spherical aberration

en-noun

spherical aberration (plural spherical aberrations)

/ˈsfɪɹ.ɪk.l̩ ˌæb.əˈɹeɪ.ʃn̩/

For p = -1, the values of q giving minimum spherical aberration (q = 0.71) and zero coma (q = 0.8) are approximately equal to each other.

1991, Virendra N. Mahajan, Aberration Theory Made Simple, page 27:

If the refractive index is low, the minimum spherical aberration is not greatly affected by the fact that the second lens operates in a converging beam, and the spherical aberration is approximately equal to h⁴K³.

2002, Michael J. Kidger, Fundamental Optical Design, page 151:

Conventional spherical intraocular lenses (IOLs) have positive spherical aberration.

2005, Mark Packer, I. Howard Fine, Richard S. Hoffman, “9: Wavefront Technology of Spherical Aberration”, in I. Howard Fine, Mark Packer, Richard Hoffman, editors, Refractive Lens Surgery, volume 1, page 81:

(optics) A type of lens aberration which causes blurriness, particularly away from the centre of the lens.


absorptance

Circa 20th century, from absorption + -ance.

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles

Oxford University Press
w:Oxford University Press

(optics, physics) Absorbed radiation and incident radiation in a ratio format; a measurement that shows how well a surface absorbs radiation.


monogon

A new optical scanner is described which serves as a monogon or single-facet device, providing one scan per shaft rotation.

1991, Beam Deflection, Scanning Technologies, edited by Gerald F. Marshall, Leo Beiser, →ISBN, page 33:

1999, William L. Wolfe, Infrared Design Examples, Tutorial Texts in Optical Engineering Volume TT36, SPIE Press, →ISBN, page 133,
These devices also start with the monogon, a plane mirror, and include the bigon, a two-sided mirror, the trigon, quadrigon, and general n-gons.


PIV

PIV (countable and uncountable, plural PIVs)

(optics) Initialism of particle image velocimetry.


graticule

French, from Latin crāticula, diminutive form of crātis.

(specifically, optics, British) A reticle.


critical angle

total internal reflection
total internal reflection

(optics) The angle of incidence beyond which light traveling through a medium experiences total internal reflection upon encountering a boundary with a less refractive medium.


focal depth

(optics) The field of view of a camera that is in sharp focus.


defocus

Fundamental to the concept of recovering the depth by measuring defocus is the relationship between the focused and the defocused images of a scene.

2012, Subhasis Chaudhuri, A. N. Rajagopalan, Depth From Defocus: A Real Aperture Imaging Approach, page 16:

(optics) The distance by which the focal point is in front of (positive defocus) or beyond (negative defocus) the image or target surface.


spectropolarimeter

(optics) A device for measuring the optical properties of polarized light.


Barlow

From Old English bere (“barley”) + hlǣw (“hill”) or lēah (“wood, clearing”).


trifocal

(optics) Of or pertaining to corrective lenses that have three different powers per eye.


correlator

(optics, signal processing) A type of device used to compare two signals


nanoscopy

nanoscopy (countable and uncountable, plural nanoscopies)

(optics, biology) The application of nanotechnology to the imaging of objects at nanoscale.

nanoscopie

the application of nanotechnology to the imaging of objects at nanoscale


angle of reflection

angle of reflection (plural angles of reflection)

(optics) The angle between the perpendicular and a ray reflected from a surface

heijastuskulma

optics: angle between perpendicular and reflected ray


angle of refraction

angle of refraction (plural angles of refraction)

(optics) The angle between the perpendicular and a ray refracted at a surface

taitekulma

optics: angle between perpendicular and refracted ray


optomechanics

(optics, mechanics) The design and manufacture of precision mechanical components of optical devices


vergence

vergence (countable and uncountable, plural vergences)

From verge (“tend, incline”, from Latin vergere) + -ence, synonym of earlier (1660s) vergency (the equivalent of French vergence). Coined as a technical term in ophthalmology, as a hyperonym of convergence and divergence, in 1902. The sense of the numeric quantity in geometric optics was introduced, from use of the term in physiological optics, in the 1920s.

af

from Latin <i class="Latn mention" lang="la">vergere</i>

a special vertex trial case computed for an object vergence of 4.00.

1921, The Optician and Scientific Instrument Maker, volume 62, page 1

1947 Benjamin King Johnson, Optics and Optical Instruments: An Introduction with Special Reference to Practical Applications, Courier Corporation (1960 [1947]), p. 152.
"Ample movement between the source and condenser should be available in order to allow for a variation in the vergence of the light leaving the condenser"

(optics) A measure of convergence or divergence of rays.


equiconcave

en-adj

equiconcave (comparative more equiconcave, superlative most equiconcave)

more equiconcave (comparative)
most equiconcave (superlative)

In an equiconcave lens the foci are virtual and are crossed over; thus, the lens in fig. 25A is equiconcave, the focus F, instead of being measured from A to the right hand, must be measured to the left hand; consequently, § of the thickness must be subtracted from the focal length in order to determine the distance of F from the surface of the lens.

1901, William Benjamin Carpenter, William Henry Dallinger, The Microscope and Its Revelations, page 22:

In an equiconcave lens, the back surface would have a positive radius of curvature.

2022 October 4, Samantha Strong, Introduction to Visual Optics, Elsevier Health Sciences, →ISBN, page 202:

A thin equiconvex lens of radius of curvature R made of material of refractive index μ₁ is kept coaxially, in contact with an equiconcave lens of the same radius of curvature and refractive index μ₂ (> μ₁).

2024, YCT Expert Team, Physics Unsolved Papers, Youth Competition Times, page 215:

(optics, of a lens) Having surfaces with the same concave radius of curvature.


flatfield

(optics) A flat portion of a lens or curved mirror, especially one introduced accidentally or by damage.


isoplanatic

isoplanatic (comparative more isoplanatic, superlative most isoplanatic)

more isoplanatic (comparative)
most isoplanatic (superlative)


focalization

en-noun

focalization (countable and uncountable, plural focalizations)

From focal + -ization or focalize + -ation.

(optics) The act or practice of putting into focus.


afocal

(optics, of an imaging system) Not focused

(optics, of a lens) Neither concave or convex (focal point at infinity)


decentre

en-verb

decentre (third-person singular simple present decentres, present participle decentring, simple past and past participle decentred)

decentres (present singular third-person)
decentring (participle present)
decentred (participle past)
decentred (past)

(optics) To place away from the centre; to make eccentric.


nematicon

(optics) A spatial optical soliton in a nematic liquid crystal.


stigmatism

en-noun

stigmatism (countable and uncountable, plural stigmatisms)

Derived from Ancient Greek στίγματος (stígmatos, “point”) + -ism.

uder

(optics) Image-formation property of an optical system which focuses a single point source in object space into a single point in image space

stigmatisme

optics: image-formation property of an optical system


planoconcave

(optics, of a lens) Having one side plane and the other concave


planoconvex

I place my Microscope, and then so place either a round Globe of Water, or a very deep clear plano convex Glass (whose convex side is turn'd towards the Window) that there is a great quantity of Rayes collected and thrown upon the Object […].

(optics, of a lens) Having one side plane and the other convex.


aberrator

Plexiglass aberrators
In this experiment we wanted to test the ability of the system to compensate for high order aberrations. We placed a plexiglass sheet halfway between the transmitter and the receiver.

1999, Gordon D. Love, Adaptive Optics For Industry And Medicine - Proceedings:

(optics) A device that simulates aberration in an image.


antireflective

en-adj

antireflective (comparative more antireflective, superlative most antireflective)

more antireflective (comparative)
most antireflective (superlative)

The screens on both were tweaked to better handle varying visibility conditions using Panasonic’s circular polarization technology and antireflective and antiglare screen treatments.

2009 February 5, Azadeh Ensha, “Laptops, Already Tough, Now Pack More Inside”, in New York Times:


prismatic colors

(physics, optics, Canada, US) Colors visible when white light is split in a prism.


prismatic colours

(physics, optics, British spelling) Colours visible when white light is split in a prisma.


holophotal

(optics, archaic) Causing no loss of light; applied to reflectors which throw back the rays of light without perceptible loss.


negative crystal

en-noun

negative crystal (plural negative crystals)

(optics) A uniaxial crystal, such as one of calcite, in which the extraordinary wave travels faster than the ordinary wave


total internal reflection

total internal reflection (countable and uncountable, plural total internal reflections)

(optics, uncountable) A phenomenon where light, instead of passing into a medium of a lower refractive index and refracting away from the normal, is completely reflected by the boundary between the two media because it approaches at an angle greater than or equal to the critical angle.


complete internal reflection

complete internal reflection (countable and uncountable, plural complete internal reflections)


telecentric

(optics) Relating to a compound lens which has its entrance or exit pupil at infinity; in the prior case, this produces an orthographic view of the subject


thin-film interference

thin-film interference (countable and uncountable, plural thin-film interferences)

(uncountable, optics) The interference of light caused by its reflection from both boundaries of a thin film of a transparent material.

(countable, optics) An instance of this interference.


chromatics

From chromatic + -s (suffix forming pluralia tantum).

suffix

(optics) The science of colours; the branch of optics that deals with the properties of colours.


focal plane

(optics) Any plane perpendicular to the axis of a lens or mirror.

(optics) Such a plane, in a camera, microscope etc, in which the real image is in focus.


real image

(optics) The image formed by light rays converging from a convex lens or concave mirror


quadrifocal

(optics) Of or pertaining to lenses that have four different powers per eye.


pantoscopic

(optics) Designed to focus on both near and distant objects at the same time, typically by means of a tilt in the lens


diopteric aberration

en-noun

diopteric aberration (plural diopteric aberrations)

spherical aberration
spherical aberration#English

(optics) Alternative form of spherical aberration


lateral aberration

lateral aberration (countable and uncountable, plural lateral aberrations)

/ˈlæt.ɚ.l̩ ˌæb.əˈɹeɪ.ʃn̩/

(optics) Deviation from the correct point of focus measured perpendicular to the axis.


longitudinal aberration

longitudinal aberration (plural longitudinal aberrations)

(optics) Deviation from the correct point of focus measured parallel to the axis.


optical axis

(optics) An imaginary line within an optical system around which there is rotational symmetry.


episcopic

(optics) Describing an optical device in which light is reflected by (rather than traversing) the object being observed


diascopic

(optics) Describing an optical device in which light traverses (rather than being reflected by) the object being observed.


ACF

auto-collimating flat
auto-collimating flat#English

(optics) Initialism of auto-collimating flat (a type of mirror)


adaptometry

(optics) The measurement of threshold of brightness by means of an adaptometer

adaptometria

measurement of the threshold of brightness


SGM

(optics) Initialism of spherical grating monochromator.


constringence

constringence (countable and uncountable, plural constringences)

(physics, optics) A measure of a material's dispersion (variation of refractive index with wavelength) in relation to the refractive index.


apertometer

(optics, microscopy) An instrument designed to measure the numerical aperture of a lens or objective of a microscope.


accidental colour

accidental colour (plural accidental colours)

complementary colour
complementary colour

(optics) A colour depending on the hypersensibility of the retina of the eye for complementary colours. They are purely subjective sensations of colour which often result from the contemplation of actually coloured bodies.


echelon lens

(optics) A large lens constructed in several parts or layers, extending in a series of annular rings beyond the central lens, and used in lighthouses.


crown glass

crown glass (usually uncountable, plural crown glasses)

So called from a crown-like shape given to it in the process of blowing.

The convex half of an achromatic lens is composed of crown glass.

(optics) A variety of glass used in lenses and other optical components due to its low refractive index and dispersion. Originally crown glass was made from alkali-lime silicates with approximately 10% potassium oxide, but similar properties may be attained with other recipes.


microdoublet

(optics) A doublet lens (typically composed of a solid lens and a liquid-filled lens) made by microfabrication


apochromatism

(optics) Freedom from both chromatic aberration and spherical aberration.


auxetometer

(optics) An instrument for measuring the magnifying power of a lens or system of lenses.


Lambert's cosine law

directly proportional
directly proportional

(optics) A law stating that the radiant intensity or luminous intensity observed from an ideal diffusely reflecting surface or ideal diffuse radiator is directly proportional to the cosine of the angle between the direction of the incident light and the surface normal.

Johann Heinrich Lambert
Lambert's cosine law


best form lens

best form lens (plural best form lenses)

The lens form having the least optical aberrations is called the best form''' lens. For most powers of spectacle lenses the best for is a meniscus lens.

2003, R. Pitts Crick, A Textbook of Clinical Ophthalmology:

(optics) A lens that is designed to minimize spherical aberration.


stenopaeic

From Ancient Greek στενός (stenós, “narrow”) (see steno-) + ὀπαῖος (opaîos, “perforated”), from ὀπή (opḗ, “opening”).

These patients were selected retrospectively, and only those treated with complete bed-rest and stenopaeic spectacles alone were accepted.

1976 April, Thorkild Bramsen, “Traumatic hyphaema treated with the antifibrinolytic drug tranexamic acid”, in Acta ophthalmologica, volume 54, number 2:

Stenopaeic slit refraction is usually attempted when retinoscopy and more conventional subjective refractive techniques, i.e. JCC and FC, fail to provide satisfactory results.

2009, Mark Rosenfield, Nicola Logan, Keith H. Edwards, Optometry: Science, Techniques and Clinical Management, →ISBN, page 219:

By contrast, the more aquatic sea lion eye is emmetropic in water and depends upon a flattened cornea and stenopaeic aperture for the formation of a good image in air (WALLs, 1942; SCHUSTERMAN, 1972).

2013, F. Crescitelli, The Visual System in Vertebrates, →ISBN, page 680:

(optics) Pertaining to a narrow opening or slit in an opaque barrier that restricts the light which reaches the eye.


eigenray

The presented theory captures not only eigenray dynamics but also the dynamics of continuous wave fields and rays with mixed polarization, or "entangled" waves.

2015, D. E. Ruiz, I. Y. Dodin, “First-principle variational formulation of polarization effects in geometrical optics”, in arXiv:

(optics) A ray that has a specific destination


equiconvex

en-adj

equiconvex (comparative more equiconvex, superlative most equiconvex)

more equiconvex (comparative)
most equiconvex (superlative)

(optics, of a lens) Having surfaces with the same convex radius of curvature.


spherocylindrical

spherocylindrical (comparative more spherocylindrical, superlative most spherocylindrical)

more spherocylindrical (comparative)
most spherocylindrical (superlative)

From sphere + o + cylindrical or spherocylinder + -ical.

(optics, of a lens) Having one spheric and one cylindric surface.


field lens

(optics) a positive-powered lens or group of lenses that comes after the objective lens and before the image plane or the eyepiece, serving to change the size of the image


Grassmann's law

Named after German linguist Hermann Grassmann (1809–1877).

named-after

(optics) An empirical law about human colour perception, stating that chromatic sensation can be described in terms of an effective stimulus consisting of linear combinations of different light colours.


photometeor

(optics) Any visible phenomenon in the atmosphere caused by reflection, refraction, diffraction or interference.


virtual image

(optics) The image formed by light rays diverging from a convex mirror or concave lens


bispheric

(optics, of a lens) Having a different radius of curvature at the centre and the edges


conoscopic

(optics) Relating to, or produced by conoscopy


eikonometer

(optics) An instrument for determining the magnifying power of a microscope


Barlow lens

Named after British mathematician and physicist Peter Barlow (1776–1862).

(optics, astronomy) A diverging lens which, used in series with other optics in an optical system, increases the effective focal length of an optical system as perceived by all components that are after it in the system.

Barlow lens
Peter Barlow (mathematician)


chronostasis

From chrono- (prefix meaning ‘time’) + -stasis (suffix meaning ‘slowing down, stopping’).

confix

(optics) A visual illusion in which a regular movement seems to pause the first time it is observed.


resolvance

en-noun

resolvance (countable and uncountable, plural resolvances)

(optics) The resolving power of a lens or device


stereoanomaly

stereoanomaly (countable and uncountable, plural stereoanomalies)


planapochromatic

(optics) Describing an apochromatic lens system that produces a planar (flat) field


beamsplitting

(optics) Describes the optics of a beam splitter


DVCS

(optics) Initialism of direct view camera system.


overfogged

en-adj

overfogged (comparative more overfogged, superlative most overfogged)

more overfogged (comparative)
most overfogged (superlative)

After noting the visual acuity without glass, the patient is greatly overfogged — to a point where vision is not more than 6/80.

1932, American Medical Association. Section on Ophthalmology, Transactions - Volume 83, page 73:

Therefore, if the rest of the correction is accurate, the cause of greater impairment in one eye is probably that it is overfogged.

1952, Sylvester Judd Beach, Principles of Refraction, page 97:

The contrast between the sharply focused vertical line and the blurred horizontal line is maximized. If the eye is underfogged or overfogged, the light distributions of the retinal images of point sources will be oval.

2006, William J. Benjamin, Borish's Clinical Refraction:

(optics) Having a focal point that is in front of the retina or observer; myopic.


retroscopic

(optics, of a lens) Having a tilt in the opposite direction to a pantoscopic lens


macroconfocal

(optics) Describing a confocal macro lens


overrefraction

(optics) Excessive refraction (due to a lens defect)


anticorona

From anti- + corona (“optical phenomenon consisting of circles visible around a bright celestial object such as the Sun or the Moon”).

af

(meteorology, optics) The glory optical phenomenon.


multiresolutional

(optics) That employs multiple resolutions


hypercyclopean

(optics) Describing the perception of depth by means of a single eye


Arago spot

Named after Dominique-François-Jean Arago, who performed an experiment demonstrating the spot's existence.

The Arago spot played an important role in the discovery of the wave nature of light and is a common way to demonstrate that light behaves as a wave.

(optics) A bright point that appears at the centre of a circular object's shadow due to Fresnel diffraction.


Fresnel number

Named after the physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel.

dimensionless quantity
dimensionless quantity

electromagnetic wave
electromagnetic wave

(optics) A dimensionless quantity (denoted F), such that for an electromagnetic wave passing through an aperture and hitting a screen, F=(a²)/(Lλ) where a is the characteristic size (e.g. radius) of the aperture, L is the distance of the screen from the aperture, and λ is the incident wavelength.


misfigure

en-verb

misfigure (third-person singular simple present misfigures, present participle misfiguring, simple past and past participle misfigured)

misfigures (present singular third-person)
misfiguring (participle present)
misfigured (participle past)
misfigured (past)

/ˈmɪsˌfɪɡə(ɹ)/

/ˈmɪsˌfɪɡjʊə(ɹ)/

If the flat rim of the center axicon is misfigured in such a way that its best fit plane is not perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the center axicon ( defined in a least squares sense ) this deviation will […]

1980, Richard N. Shagam, William C. Sweatt, Optical Alignment: Proceedings : July 29-31, 1980, page 111:

Should the element be misfigured, then these aberrations would be combined with the actual misfigure.

1983 August 23, Gregory C . Dente, “Separating misalignment from misfigure in interferograms on off - axis aspheres”, in Precision Surface Metrology, page 188:

Both provide corrective optics which essentially cancel the wavefront error introduced by the misfigured primary mirror.

2012, Willem Wamsteker, Malcolm S. Longair, Y. Kondo, Frontiers Of Space And Ground-Based Astronomy, page 93:

(optics) To err in the manufacture of an optical surface so that it causes distortions.


misfigure

/ˈmɪsˌfɪɡə(ɹ)/

/ˈmɪsˌfɪɡjʊə(ɹ)/

1983 August 23, Gregory C. Dente, “Separating misalignment from misfigure in interferograms on off - axis aspheres”, in Precision Surface Metrology, page 188:

Compensation for optical surface misfigure was provided by a phase conjugating mirror to construct a phase conjugated transmitter subsystem.

1989, Bernard David Seery, Optomechanical Design of Laser Transmitters and Receivers, page 255:

In most systems, the optical misfigure can be at least partially corrected by focussing at one wavelength.

1990, Russell A. Chipman, Polarization Considerations for Optical Systems II, page 320:

For primitive it may seem, this test is exquisitely sensitive to surface misfigure, and will immediately reveal errors that may escape the most modern metrology.

2006, Renaud Foy, Françoise Claude Foy, Optics in Astrophysics, page 30:

(optics) The misfigured portion of an optical surface, or the presence of such a portion.


field stop

(optics) The aperture that limits the field of view of a lens.


orthostereoscopic

(optics) That produces a three-dimensional image free from distortion


orthostereoscopy

(optics) The production of a three-dimensional image free from distortion


Gaussian beam

electromagnetic radiation
electromagnetic radiation

(optics) A beam of electromagnetic radiation with high monochromaticity whose amplitude envelope in the transverse plane is given by a Gaussian function.


parallax motion

en-noun

parallax motion (plural parallax motions)

(photography, optics) The apparent motion of a tracking-locked foreground object against a background, when the camera is moving across the environment. (ie. A stationary object will appear to move across a background, when a moving camera is locked to track it)


motion parallax

(photography, optics) The illusion of higher speed travel of a foreground object moving, when it is closer to the observer/camera, than when it is further away.


amacratic

an amacratic lens

(optics) Uniting the rays of light into one focus.


virtual focus

virtual focus (countable and uncountable, plural virtual foci or virtual focuses or virtual focusses)

virtual foci (plural)
virtual focuses (plural)
virtual focusses (plural)

(optics) A point from which light or other radiation apparently emanates, such as in the virtual image produced by a plane mirror.

valepolttopiste

point from which light, etc., apparently emanates


equisolid

(optics) Relating to the same solid angle


ferroelectric shutter

ferroelectric shutter (plural ferroelectric shutters)

(optics) A shutter consisting of a slab of ferroelectric crystal located between polarizers whose planes are at right angles


decollimation

(optics, radio) Any mechanism in which rays either diverge or converge from parallelism


Fermat's principle

First proposed by French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in 1662.

But we now see that, if we use Fermat's principle, a fundamental result of any wave theory, and combine it with de Broglie's assumption about the relation between momentum and wavelength, we are led at once to the principle of least action.

1960, John Clarke Slater, Quantum Theory of Atomic Structure, McGraw-Hill, page 39:

[…], Keller simply postulates these rays and finds their direction from Fermat's principle adapted to the hypothesis that these rays exist.

1968, Petr Beckmann, The Depolarization of Electromagnetic Waves, Golem Press, page 108:

1976, Donald E. Tilley, Walter Thumm, Physics for College Students, Cummings Publishing Company, page 558,
[…] students wishing to pursue this branch of physics further will find that refraction too can be explained in terms of Fermat's principle.

(physics, optics) The principle, which links geometrical optics (or "ray optics") with wave optics, that the path traversed by a ray between two given points is: (in the original "strong" formulation) the one that takes the least time, or (in a weaker but more general formulation) one that takes a time that is "stationary" with respect to variations of the path (so that, loosely speaking, a small change in the ray path entails a very small change in the traversal time).


half-silvered mirror

half-silvered mirror (plural half-silvered mirrors)

(optics) A mirror that consists of an incomplete reflective coating, so that half of the incident light is reflected and the other half is transmitted.


apochromat

(optics) A kind of lens corrected for chromatic and spherical aberration.


pancake lens

A particularly fitting choice is the small and flexible XF27mmF2.8 pancake lens. With it, the camera fits in the pocket of almost every coat or jacket.

2015, Rico Pfirstinger, The Fujifilm X-T10 […] , Rocky Nook, →ISBN:

(photography, optics, informal) A type of flat lens design.


shadow blister effect

shadow blister effect (plural shadow blister effects)

(optics) A visual phenomenon in which a shadow bulges as it approaches another.


time stop

(optics, photography) A stop (mechanical part that adjusts an aperture or interval size) which operates on a timer.


integration time

integration time (countable and uncountable, plural integration times)

(optics) The duration of time in which a sensor collects and accumulates incoming light or signals.


Christiansen effect

Christiansen effect (plural Christiansen effects)

Named after Danish physicist Christian Christiansen.

(optics) The reduced scattering of multi-phase microstructures at wavelengths where their refractive indices match.


Christiansen filter

Christiansen filter (plural Christiansen filters)

(optics, uncommon) A narrow bandpass or monochromatic optical filter which consists of an optical cell which is filled with a crushed substance (e.g. glass) and a (mostly organic) liquid.


magneto-optic effect

magneto-optic effect (plural magneto-optic effects)

(electromagnetism, optics) The property changes (i.e. polarization, spectrum, phase, intensity) in an electromagnetic wave when it propagates through a medium that has been altered by the presence of a quasistatic magnetic field.


Voigt effect

Named after German scientist Woldemar Voigt who discovered the effect.

(optics, physics) A magneto-optical phenomenon which rotates and elliptizes linearly polarised light sent into an optically active medium.


slow light

slow light (countable and uncountable, plural slow lights)

(physics, optics) The propagation of an optical pulse or other modulation of an optical carrier at a very low group velocity.


power scaling

power scaling (countable and uncountable, plural power scalings)

Fiber lasers and fiber amplifiers are one of the most promising solid state laser concepts and find widespread applications that require efficient, rugged and compact optical sources. However, powerscaling in conventional stepindex single-mode fibers is restricted.

2002, J. Limpert, H. Zellmer, A. Tünnermann, T. Pertsch, F. Lederer, “Suppression of higher order modes in a multimode fiber amplifier using efficient gain-loss-management (GLM)”, in Martin E. Fermann, Larry R. Marshall, editors, Advanced Solid-State Lasers (OSA Trends in Optics and Photonics; 68), Washington, D.C.: Optical Society of America, →DOI, →ISBN, page 112:

(optics) The act of increasing the output power of a laser without changing the geometry, shape, or principle of operation.


Airy disk

(optics) The bright central region of the diffraction pattern resulting from a uniformly illuminated circular aperture.


Airy pattern

(optics) The Airy disk together with the series of concentric rings that surround it.