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A quantum of electromagnetic energy with particle-like and wave-like properties, which carries light.

A device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation.

A structural periodic optical nanocomposite that affects the motion of photons in a similar way that ionic lattices affect electrons in solids.

A physical structure that guides electromagnetic waves in the optical spectrum.

A sensor of light or other electromagnetic energy that converts light into an electrical signal.

A flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair, used to transmit light.

The branch of optics that studies the behavior of light in nonlinear media, where the dielectric polarization responds nonlinearly to the electric field of the light.

A nanoparticle of semiconducting material that can confine the motion of conduction band electrons, valence band holes, or excitons in all three spatial directions.

A device that amplifies an optical signal directly, without the need to first convert it to an electrical signal.

A sensor that uses optical fiber as the sensing element or as a means of relaying signals from a remote sensor to the electronics that process the signals.

A technique that enables three-dimensional images (holograms) to be made by the interference of light beams from a laser or other coherent light source.

The use of photonic devices integrated onto a single substrate to process and transmit information as light instead of electrical signals.

A range of frequencies in a photonic crystal for which photons (light) are forbidden to propagate.

The study and application of electronic devices and systems that source, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics.

A periodic disturbance in the refractive index in a waveguide, which reflects specific wavelengths of light and transmits others.

The emission of light from a material that has absorbed photons and undergone a transition to a higher electronic state.

A device that is used to modulate a beam of light, such as by varying its intensity, phase, or polarization, often as part of an optical communication system.

The fundamental process in which an electron and a photon can interact, leading to phenomena such as absorption, emission, and scattering of photons.

A semiconductor light source that emits light when current flows through it.

The average time a photon can spend in a resonant cavity before being emitted or absorbed.

A device used to allow light to pass in only one direction, which helps to protect laser sources from back reflections.

An imaging technique that captures two- and three-dimensional images of optical scattering media, such as biological tissues, at micrometer resolution.

A method in optics by which the wavefront of an optical signal is reversed, mirroring the wavefront as if it was reflecting off a perfect mirror.

A scientific instrument that uses a focused laser beam to provide an attractive or repulsive force, depending on the refractive index difference, to physically hold and move microscopic objects.