| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 3,587,803,231 visitors served. |
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
photonics |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Wikipedia | 0.03 sec. |
|
|
photonics, the science and technology based on and concerned with the controlled flow of photons photon , the particle composing light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation, sometimes called light quantum. The photon has no charge and no mass. About the beginning of the 20th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , or light particles. It is the optical equivalent of electronics electronics, science and technology based on and concerned with the controlled flow of electrons or other carriers of electric charge, especially in semiconductor devices. It is one of the principal branches of electrical engineering. ..... Click the link for more information. , and the two technologies coexist in such innovations as optoelectronic integrated circuits. Photonic applications include data storage (using optical disks optical disk, any of a variety of information storage disks that are played or read using a laser. Optical disks include compact discs (CDs and CD-ROMs), laser discs (see videodisc), and digital versatile discs (or digital video discs; DVDs and DVD-ROMs). ..... Click the link for more information. and holograms), data transmission (see fiber optics fiber optics, transmission of digitized messages or information by light pulses along hair-thin glass fibers. Each fiber is surrounded by a cladding having a high index of refractance so that the light is internally reflected and travels the length of the fiber ..... Click the link for more information. ), experimental optical computers, optical switches and light modulators (for signal processing and interconnection), and a photonic gyroscope used in commercial aircraft that has no moving parts. photonics The science of generating and transmitting light (photons). It deals with light starting in the infrared range, through visible light to ultraviolet light at the highest frequency. Most photonic systems use electricity and electronic circuits as their source of energy. See optoelectronics, silicon photonics and spectrum.photonics [fō′tän·iks] (electronics) The electronic technology involved with the practical generation, manipulation, analysis, transmission, and reception of electromagnetic energy in the visible, infrared, and ultraviolet portions of the light spectrum. It contributes to many fields, including astronomy, biomedicine, data communications and storage, fiber optics, imaging, optical computing, optoelectronics, sensing, and telecommunications. Also known as optoelectronics. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|