Photonics

thumb|upright=1.5|A telescope in the Very Large Telescope system producing four orange [[laser guide stars |alt=A telescope emitting four orange laser beams]]

thumb|A sea mouse (Aphrodita aculeata), showing colorful spines, an example of Biophotonics Photonics is a branch of optics that involves the application of generation, detection, and manipulation of light in the form of photons through emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching, amplification, and sensing. Even though photonics is a commonly used term, there is no widespread agreement on a clear definition of the term or on the difference between photonics and related fields, such as optics.

optical system diffracting light into several components based on interference

type of spacecraft propulsion that takes advantage of solar radiation

method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber

instrument using a highly focused laser to provide an attractive or repulsive force (on the order of piconewtons) to hold and move microscopic dielectric objects similar to tweezers

periodic optical nanostructure affecting the motion of photons in much the same way as ionic lattices affect electrons in solids

computer that uses photons or light particles

thumb|alt=An image of darkened brass historical plaque with a streak of green corrosion running down it, mounted on the exterior side of a brick building. |A historical plaque on the side of the Franklin School in Washington, D.C. which marks one of the points from which the photophone was demonstrated thumb|A diagram from one of Bell's 1880 papers

energy measurement of electrons emitted from solids, gases, or liquids by the photoelectric effect

device that integrates multiple (at least two) photonic functions

Nanophotonics or nano-optics is the study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale, and of the interaction of nanometer-scale objects with light. It is a branch of optics, optical engineering, electrical engineering, and nanotechnology. It often involves dielectric structures such as nanoantennas, or metallic components, which can transport and focus light via surface plasmon polaritons.

structure that guides electromagnetic waves in the optical spectrum

The term biophotonics denotes a combination of biology and photonics, with photonics being the science and technology of generation, manipulation, and detection of photons, quantum units of light. Photonics is related to electronics and photons. Photons play a central role in information technologies, such as fiber optics, the way electrons do in electronics.

nonlinear optics intermodulation phenomenon whereby interactions between two or three wavelengths produce two or one new wavelengths

class of optical fiber

thumb|260px|A Hybrid plasmonic waveguide|plasmonic waveguide design to facilitate [[negative refraction in visible spectrum]] Plasmonics or nanoplasmonics refers to the generation, detection, and manipulation of signals at optical frequencies along metal-dielectric interfaces in the nanometer scale. Inspired by photonics, plasmonics follows the trend of miniaturizing optical devices (see also nanophotonics), and finds applications in sensing, microscopy, optical communications, and bio-photonics.

physical process for creating a positron-electron pair from the collision of two photons

ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences (in Catalan: Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, in Spanish: Instituto de Ciencias Fotónicas) is a research center devoted to the science and technology of light. Located in Castelldefels (Barcelona, Spain), ICFO was created in 2002 by the Government of Catalonia and the Technical University of Catalonia.

optical multiplexer component

type of laser diode, quantum cascade laser or optical fiber laser

light source that emits light as single particles or photons

type of laser

quantum phenomenon

the study and application of photonic systems which use silicon as an optical medium

journal

Microphotonics is a branch of technology that deals with directing light on a microscopic scale and is used in optical networking. Particularly, it refers to the branch of technology that deals with wafer-level integrated devices and systems that emit, transmit, detect, and process light along with other forms of radiant energy with photon as the quantum unit.

any thin, repetitive surface designed to reflect, transmit or absorb electromagnetic fields based on the frequency of the field

radio photonic radar

electromagnetic property induced by some exotic optical materials

device which absorbs coherent light and converts it to some form of internal energy such as heat or electrical energy

physical implementation of an artificial neural network with optical components