Index of optics articles

Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light. Because light is an electromagnetic wave, other forms of electromagnetic radiation such as X-rays, microwaves, and radio waves exhibit similar properties.

A
Abbe number

Abbe prism

Abbe sine condition

Aberration in optical systems

Absorption

Absorption spectrum

Acousto-optics

Acousto-optic deflector

Acousto-optic filter

Acousto-optic modulator

Active laser medium

Afterglow

Airglow

Airy disk

Albedo

Alexander's band

Alpenglow

Angle of incidence

Angle of reflection

Angular magnification

Anti-reflective coating

Arago spot

Asterism (astronomy)

Asterism (gemmology)

Aspheric lens

Atmospheric diffraction

Atom optics

Atomic, molecular, and optical physics

Aura (optics)

Auroral light

Avalanche photodiode

Aventurescence

Axicon

B
Barrel distortion

Beam splitter

Beer–Lambert law

Binoculars

Birefringence

Black-body radiation

Brewster's angle

Brewster window

Brightness temperature

Brillouin scattering

C
Camera

Camera lens

Camera lucida

Camera obscura

Candela

Cardinal point (optics)

Cassegrain reflector

Cathodoluminescence

Catoptrics

Caustic (optics)

Chatoyancy

Chemical laser

Chromatic aberration

Chromaticity

Chromaticity diagram

Chrominance

Circle of confusion

Circular dichroism

Coherence length

Coherence (physics)

Coherence time

Collimated light

Color

Colorimetry

Color science

Common-path interferometer

Confocal

Confocal laser scanning microscopy

Concave lens

Concave mirror

Convex lens

Convex mirror

Cooke triplet

Corner reflector

Crystal optics

D
Dark state

Densitometry

Depolarizer (optics)

Diaphragm (optics)

Dichroism

Dichroic filter

Dichroic prism

Dichromatic reflectance model

Differential group delay

Diffraction

Diffraction grating

Diffraction spike

Diffractive optics

Digital handheld refractometer

Dispersion (optics)

Double-Gauss lens

Double refraction

Double-slit experiment

Dual polarisation interferometry

E
EDFA

Effect of sun angle on climate

Electro-gyration

Electro-optic effect

Electroluminescence

Electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic spectrum

Electromagnetic wave

Elve

Emission spectrum

Entrance pupil

Exit pupil

Eyeglass prescription

Etalon

Evanescent wave

Excimer laser

Eye

Eyepiece

F
f-number

fabrication and testing (optical components)

Faraday effect

far point

fata Morgana

Fermat's principle

fiber amplifier

fiber optic terms (list)

fiber optics

filter (optics)

Fizeau's measurement of the speed of light in air

Flat mirror

fluorescence

focal length

focal point (optics)

focus

Folded optics

Foucault's measurements of the speed of light

Fourier optics

Fraunhofer diffraction

Fraunhofer line

free-space optical communication

Augustin-Jean Fresnel

Fresnel equations

Fresnel lens

Fresnel number

Fresnel reflection

Fresnel zone

G
gain-switching

Gaussian beam

gegenschein

geometrical optics

Glan–Foucault prism

Glan–laser prism

Glan–Taylor prism

Glan–Thompson prism

glory (optical phenomenon)

gloss (material appearance)

gradient index lens

gradient index optics

guided-wave optics

H
Haidinger's brush

halo (optical phenomenon)

haze (optics)

Helium–neon laser

history of lensmaking

holography

human visual system

Huygens' principle

I
Image processing

Incandescence

Index ellipsoid

indices of refraction (list)

Information theory

Integrated optics

Interference

Interferometry

Inverse problem in optics

Inverse-square law

Iridescence

International Commission on Illumination

J
Jones calculus

K
Kerr cell

Kerr effect

Kerr-lens modelocking

knife-edge effect

L
Laser

Laser construction

Laser applications

Laser pumping

Laser science

Lasing threshold

Least distance of distinct vision

Lens (optics)

lens designs (list)

Lensmeter

Light

Light bulb

Light-emitting diode

Light meter

Liquid-crystal display

Liquid scintillation counting

Luminance

Luminiferous aether

Luminosity

Luminous intensity

Lumen

Lustre (mineralogy)

Lux

M
magnifying glass

material science – optical properties

metamerism

Michelson–Morley experiment

microlens

micromirror device

microphotonics

microscope

Mie scattering

mirage

mirror

modelocking

modern optics

monochromator

monocular

multilayer optics

N
Nanophotonics

Natural Color System

Newton's rings

Nicol prism

Nomarski prism

Nonimaging optics

nonlinear optics

normal lens

numerical aperture

O
off-axis optical system

optical aberration

optical amplifier

optical axis

optical axis gratings

optical bench

optical coating

optical coherence tomography

optical communication

optical computer

optical data storage (science of)

optical depth

optical disc

optical distance

optical engineering

optical fiber

optical fiber connector

optical illusion

optical instrument

optical isotropy

optical lens design

optical modeling and simulation

optical path

optical path length

optical pattern recognition

optical phenomenon

optical processor

optical resonator

optical sine theorem

optical spectrum

optical theorem

optical tweezers

optical waveguide

optical window

optics

optoelectronics

P
paraxial approximation

pattern recognition

pentaprism

penumbra

periscope

phase (waves)

phosphorescence

phot

photodiode

photoelectric effect

photographic lens

photography (science of)

photometry

photomultiplier

photon

photonic crystal

photonics

photon polarization

photorefractive effect

photoresistor

physical optics

pincushion distortion

pinhole camera

piston (optics)

plasmonics

pleochroism

Pockels effect

polarimeter

polarization (waves)

Polaroid (polarizer)

population inversion

Porro prism

prime lens

principal focus

principle of least time

prism (optics)

prism compressor

progressive lenses

Q
Quasioptics

Q-switching

quantum optics

quantum well laser

R
Radial polarisation

Radiometry

radius of curvature

Rainbow

Raman amplification

Raman amplifier

Ray (optics)

Rayleigh criterion

Rayleigh scattering

Ray tracing

Ray transfer matrix analysis

Reflecting telescope

Reflection (optics)

Refracting telescope

Refraction

Reflection coefficient

Refractive index

Refractometer

Retroreflector

RGB color model

Rochon prism

Rotating-wave approximation

S
scattering

Scheimpflug principle

scintillator

scintillation (astronomy)

Sellmeier equation

Sénarmont prism

shadow

slit experiment

Willebrord Snell

Snell's law

spatial filter

speckle pattern

speckle interferometry

spectroscopy

speed of light

spontaneous emission

sprite (optical phenomenon)

statistical optics

stereoscopy

stimulated emission

Stokes parameters

sun dog

sunlight

sylvanshine

synchrotron radiation

T
telescope

thermal physics - radiative heat transfer

thin-film optics

tilt (optics)

total internal reflection

transparency (optics)

transverse mode

triangular prism

Tyndall effect

U
ultraviolet catastrophe

umbra

Umov effect

W
wave articles (index)

waveguide

wavelength

wavelength division multiplexing

wave plate

wide-angle lens

Wollaston prism

Z
Zeeman effect

Zeiss Tessar

zodiacal light

zone plate

zoom lens