1. Belonging to, or relating to, the sense of sight.
2. Relating to, or producing, light that can be seen.
3. A description of an instrument or device that is sensitive to light.
4. Describing a lens that is designed to correct, or to enhance, faulty vision.MBR< 5. Belonging, or relating to, the science of optics.

Characteristic of the technology for the study of light and sound waves through solid material: John noted that he had just finished reading an interesting article about the acousto-optical properties of certain materials.

The generic term for scintillation phenomena observed in light that reaches the eyes from sources liying within the Earth's atmosphere: An atmospheric boil, or a scintillation, refers to the rapid fluctuations in the amplitude and phase of electromagnetic or acoustic waves that have propagated through a medium containing fluctuations in refractive index, such as the atmosphere.

The most common example of optical scintillation is the "twinkling" of stars observed through the atmosphere because it arises as a result of random angular scattering produced by refractive index fluctuations.

Fluctuations in the amplitude of different frequency components in the spectrum of an object can give rise to apparent changes in its color (chromatic scintillation). An example is the random red and blue twinkling of bright stars near the horizon.

Scintillation statistics have been used to study turbulence in regions ranging from the planetary boundary layer to the ionosphere, as well as interplanetary and interstellar space and it is important for astronomical imaging, optical and radio communications, laser and acoustical propagation, active and passive remote sensing, and the performance of the Global Positioning System.

A combination of parts capable of producing and controlling a beam of electrons to produce an image of an object.

A method of erasable optical data storage in which information is stored by visible light, then read by illumination with an infrared source that returns trapped electrons to their ground state.

Erasability is achieved by using a higher infrared level than that which is used in reading.

Having to do with electron optics.

An electron-optical lens focuses the highly accelerated electrons into a tiny spot.

A transistor capable of responding in nanoseconds to both light and electrical signals.

1. A pattern of double refraction exhibited by certain refracting materials when exposed to an electric field.
2. Birefringence induced by an electric field or an optical property in which a single ray of unpolarized light splits into two components traveling at different velocities and in different directions.

In birefringent materials either the separation between neighboring atomic structural units is different in different directions, or the bonds tying such units together have different characteristics in different directions.

1. That branch of character recognition concerned with the automatic identification of handwritten or printed characters by any of various photoelectric methods.
2. A method for the machine-reading of typeset, typed, and, in some cases, hand-printed letters, numbers, and symbols using optical sensing and a computer.

The light reflected by a printed text; for example, is recorded as patterns of light and dark areas by an array of photoelectric cells in a optical scanner.

An instrument which detects radiation by utilizing influence of light in forming an electrical signal.

The detector may be a phototube; a photononductive, photovoltaic, or a photojunction cell; a phototransistor; or a thermal detector; such as, a thermocouple or a bolometer (a device for detecting and measuring small amounts of thermal radiation).

1. The effect where certain transparent dielectrics become doubly refracting when placed in an electric field.
2. The change in the index of refraction of a material when subjected to an electric field.

The effect can b used to modulate a light beam in a material since many properties; such as, light-conduction velocities, reflection, and transmission coefficients at interfaces, acceptance angles, critical angles, and transmission modes, are dependent on the refractive indexes of the media in which the light travels.

The effect wherein certain transparent dielectrics (materials which are poor conductors of electric current) become doubly refracting (bending of electromagnetic waves as they pass between materials with different refractive indices or magnitude of some physical effect) when placed in an electric field.

A biometric technology that provides for the scanning, comparison, and identification of fingerprints without the traditional need for ink and paper.

An optical scanning and recognition system is used in conjunction with a matching system to enable efficient authentication for secure spaces and devices. Like other finger scanning technologies, electro-optical fingerprint recognition makes it possible to quickly and accurately compare a given fingerprint image to thousands of stored images.

Electro-optical fingerprint scanners are generally designed to be portable, easy to use, and physically rugged. The devices are becoming more widely used as an alternative to passwords for consumer electronics or as part of a two-factor authentication system where more stringent security is required.

The fingerprint is optically scanned directly from the finger and the resulting image is focused onto a small chip. The chip converts the focused image into a digital file that can be processed, stored, and compared with other fingerprint images.

The high-resolution digital images can be processed like any other scanned images, eliminating problems caused by aliasing (also called jaggies) and making it possible to quickly compare a fingerprint image with other fingerprint images in a large database.

In robotics, a camera or other deice at the end of a robot's arm which is used to take hold of or to manipulate an object which is being worked on.

A material which is capable of transforming electrical information into optical information or performing some optical function in response to an electric signal.

One example is lead lanthanum zirconate titanate, a transparent ferroelectric ceramic whose optical properties can be changed by an electric field.

In lasers, such materials can be used for beam deflection, beam modulation, and Q switching (a switch that allows for the build-up of energy before it is switched open to allow light to move out).

A material which is capable of transforming electrical information into optical information or performing some optical function in response to an electric signal.

One example is lead lanthanum zirconte titanate, a transparent ferroelectric ceramic whose optical properties can be changed by an electric field.

In lasers, such materials can be used for beam deflection, beam modulation, and Q switching (Quality switch or an optical valve in a laser that prevents light from transmitting outside the resonating cavity).

The Q switch allows for the build-up of energy before it is switched open to allow light to move out.

An optical modulator in which a Kerr cell, an electro-optical crystal, or other signal-controlled electro-optical device is used to modulate the amplitude, phase, frequency, or direction of a light beam.

With a laser beam, modulating frequencies well into the gigahertz range are possible.

A Kerr cell is an optical device consisting of a transparent cell with two electrodes between two polarizing media which passes light only if the two planes of polarization are parallel and it is used as a high-speed shutter or to modulate a laser beam.

A shutter which uses a Kerr cell to modulate a beam of light.

A transistor capable of responding in nanoseconds to both light and electrical signals.

An electronic instrument for emitting, modulating, transmitting, or sensing light. The effects electricity has on optical materials; such as, a change in refraction or birefringence which is the optical property of a material that causes the polarizations of light to travel at different speeds.

A branch of optical technology dealing with systems that transmit light signals and images over short, and long, distances through the use of optical fibers (transparent, hair-thin strands of glass or plastic).

These fibers have a wide range of applications; such as, in the transmission of computer data, telephone messages, and other communications.

A lens, or mirror system, that concentrates radiant solar energy in a concentrating photovoltaic system (devices that absorb solar energy turned into electricity) in order to increase electrical output.

A grooveless disk on which digital data; such as, text, music, or pictures, is stored as tiny pits in the surface and is read or replayed by a laser beam scanning the surface.

In robotics, a system of visual feedback based on various devices; such as, video cameras, photocells, or other appliances, allowing a robot to recognize objects or to measure their characteristics.