This is a list of

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

s and other initialisms used in

laser physics Laser science or laser physics is a branch of optics that describes the theory and practice of lasers. Laser science is principally concerned with quantum electronics, laser construction, optical cavity design, the physics of producing a popul ...

and

laser applications Many scientific, military, medical and commercial laser applications have been developed since the invention of the laser in 1958. The coherency, high monochromaticity, and ability to reach extremely high powers are all properties which allow f ...

A

*AOM –

acousto-optic modulator An acousto-optic modulator (AOM), also called a Bragg cell or an acousto-optic deflector (AOD), uses the acousto-optic effect to diffract and shift the frequency of light using sound waves (usually at radio-frequency). They are used in lasers fo ...

*AOPDF –

acousto-optic programmable dispersive filter An acousto-optic programmable dispersive filter (AOPDF) is a special type of collinear-beam acousto-optic modulator capable of shaping spectral phase and amplitude of ultrashort laser pulses. AOPDF was invented by Pierre Tournois. Typically, quart ...

*APD –

avalanche photodiode An avalanche photodiode (APD) is a highly sensitive semiconductor photodiode detector that exploits the photoelectric effect to convert light into electricity. From a functional standpoint, they can be regarded as the semiconductor analog of pho ...

*APM –

additive-pulse mode locking Mode locking is a technique in optics by which a laser can be made to produce pulses of light of extremely short duration, on the order of picoseconds (10−12 s) or femtoseconds (10−15 s). A laser operated in this way is sometimes r ...

*ASE –

amplified spontaneous emission Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) or superluminescence is light, produced by spontaneous emission, that has been optically amplified by the process of stimulated emission in a gain medium. It is inherent in the field of random lasers. Origins ...

*ATD – above threshold dissociation *ATI –

above threshold ionization In atomic, molecular, and optical physics, above-threshold ionization (ATI) is a multi-photon effect where an atom is ionized with more than the energetically required number of photons. It was first observed in 1979. Photoelectrons In the c ...

*AWG –

arrayed waveguide grating {{Unreferenced, date=April 2019 Arrayed waveguide gratings (AWG) are commonly used as Optical add-drop multiplexer, optical (de)multiplexers in wavelength division multiplexing, wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) systems. These devices are capa ...

B

*BPP –

beam parameter product In laser science, the beam parameter product (BPP) is the product of a laser beam's divergence angle (half-angle) and the radius of the beam at its narrowest point (the beam waist). The BPP quantifies the quality of a laser beam, and how well it can ...

C

*CD-ROM – compact disc read-only memory *CEO – carrier-envelope offset *CEP – carrier-envelope phase *CPA –

chirped-pulse amplification Chirped pulse amplification (CPA) is a technique for amplifying an ultrashort laser pulse up to the petawatt level, with the laser pulse being stretched out temporally and spectrally, then amplified, and then compressed again. The stretching and c ...

*CW –

continuous wave A continuous wave or continuous waveform (CW) is an electromagnetic wave of constant amplitude and frequency, typically a sine wave, that for mathematical analysis is considered to be of infinite duration. It may refer to e.g. a laser or particle ...

*CWDM – coarse wavelength division multiplexing

D

*DBR –

distributed Bragg reflector A distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) is a reflector used in waveguides, such as optical fibers. It is a structure formed from multiple layers of alternating materials with varying refractive index, or by periodic variation of some characteristic ...

*DCM – dispersion-compensation module or double-chirped mirror *DFB laser –

distributed feedback laser A distributed-feedback laser (DFB) is a type of laser diode, quantum-cascade laser or optical-fiber laser where the active region of the device contains a periodically structured element or diffraction grating. The structure builds a one-dimensio ...

*DFG – difference-frequency generation *DIAL –

differential absorption LIDAR Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

*DOG – double optical gating *DOS –

density of states In solid state physics and condensed matter physics, the density of states (DOS) of a system describes the number of modes per unit frequency range. The density of states is defined as D(E) = N(E)/V , where N(E)\delta E is the number of states i ...

*DPSS – diode pumped solid state *DWDM –

dense wavelength division multiplexing In fiber-optic communications, wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) is a technology which multiplexes a number of optical carrier signals onto a single optical fiber by using different wavelengths (i.e., colors) of laser light. This techni ...

E

*ECDL – external cavity diode laser *EDC – electronic dispersion compensation *EDFA –

erbium-doped fiber amplifier An optical amplifier is a device that amplifies an optical signal directly, without the need to first convert it to an electrical signal. An optical amplifier may be thought of as a laser without an optical cavity, or one in which feedback from ...

*Er:YAG – erbium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet, Er:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ *EOM –

electro-optic modulator An electro-optic modulator (EOM) is an optical device in which a signal-controlled element exhibiting an electro-optic effect is used to modulate a beam of light. The modulation may be imposed on the phase, frequency, amplitude, or polarization ...

*ESA – excited state absorption

F

*FEL –

free electron laser A free-electron laser (FEL) is a (fourth generation) light source producing extremely brilliant and short pulses of radiation. An FEL functions and behaves in many ways like a laser, but instead of using stimulated emission from atomic or molecula ...

*FREAG – frequency-resolved electro-absorption gating *FROG –

frequency-resolved optical gating Frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) is a general method for measuring the spectral phase of ultrashort laser pulses, which range from sub femtosecond to about a nanosecond in length. Invented in 1991 by Rick Trebino and Daniel J. Kane, FROG wa ...

*FROG-CRAB – frequency-resolved optical gating for complete reconstruction of attosecond bursts *FWM –

four-wave mixing Four-wave mixing (FWM) is an intermodulation phenomenon in nonlinear optics, whereby interactions between two or three wavelengths produce two or one new wavelengths. It is similar to the third-order intercept point in electrical systems. Four-wave ...

*FP – Fabry-Perot laser

G

*GRENOUILLE –

grating-eliminated no-nonsense observation of ultrafast incident laser light e-fields Grating-eliminated no-nonsense observation of ultrafast incident laser light e-fields (GRENOUILLE) is an ultrashort pulse measurement technique based on frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG). The acronym was chosen because of the technique's re ...

H

*HeNe –

helium–neon laser A helium–neon laser or He-Ne laser, is a type of gas laser whose high energetic medium gain medium consists of a mixture of 10:1 ratio of helium and neon at a total pressure of about 1 torr inside of a small electrical discharge. The best ...

*HHG – high harmonic generation

I

*IR –

infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

K

*KLM –

Kerr-lens modelocking Kerr-lens mode-locking (KLM) is a method of mode-locking lasers via the nonlinear optical Kerr effect. This method allows the generation of pulses of light with a duration as short as a few femtoseconds. The optical Kerr effect is a process whi ...

L

*LASEK – laser-assisted sub-epithelial keratectomy *LASER – light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation *LASIK – laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (eye surgery) *LBO –

lithium triborate Lithium triborate (LiB3O5) or LBO is a non-linear optics crystal. It has a wide transparency range, moderately high nonlinear coupling, high damage threshold and desirable chemical and mechanical properties. This crystal is often used for secon ...

*LiDAR –

light detection and ranging Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

*LLLT –

low-level laser therapy Low-level laser therapy (LLLT), cold laser therapy, or photobiomodulation (PBM) is a form of medicine that applies low-level (low-power) lasers or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to the surface of the body. Whereas high-power lasers are used in la ...

M

*MASER – microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation *MIIPS –

multiphoton intrapulse interference phase scan Multiphoton intrapulse interference phase scan (MIIPS) is a method used in ultrashort laser technology that simultaneously measures (phase characterization), and compensates (phase correction) femtosecond laser pulses using an adaptive pulse shape ...

*MOPA – master oscillator power amplifier

N

*Nd:YAG – neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet, Nd:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ *Nd:YCOB – neodymium-doped YCOB, YCa₄O(BO₃)₃

O

*OC –

output coupler An output coupler (OC) is the component of an optical resonator that allows the extraction of a portion of the light from the laser's intracavity beam. An output coupler most often consists of a partially reflective mirror, allowing a certain por ...

*OPO –

optical parametric oscillator An optical parametric oscillator (OPO) is a parametric oscillator that oscillates at optical frequencies. It converts an input laser wave (called "pump") with frequency \omega_p into two output waves of lower frequency (\omega_s, \omega_i) by means ...

*OPA –

optical parametric amplifier An optical parametric amplifier, abbreviated OPA, is a laser light source that emits light of variable wavelengths by an optical parametric amplifier, parametric amplification process. It is essentially the same as an optical parametric oscillator, ...

/ optical parametric amplification *OPCPA –

optical parametric chirped pulse amplification Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultravio ...

P

* PI –

population inversion In science, specifically statistical mechanics, a population inversion occurs while a system (such as a group of atoms or molecules) exists in a state in which more members of the system are in higher, excited states than in lower, unexcited energy ...

R

*RABBIT –

reconstruction of attosecond beating by interference of two-photon transitions Reconstruction of attosecond beating by interference of two-photon transitions, more commonly known as RABBITT or RABBIT for short, is a widely used technique for obtaining the relative phase and amplitude of attosecond pulses. This technique involv ...

*REMPI –

resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) is a technique applied to the spectroscopy of atoms and small molecules. In practice, a tunable laser can be used to access an excited intermediate state. The selection rules associated with a ...

S

*SHG –

second harmonic generation Second-harmonic generation (SHG, also called frequency doubling) is a nonlinear optical process in which two photons with the same frequency interact with a nonlinear material, are "combined", and generate a new photon with twice the energy of ...

*SLM – single

longitudinal mode A longitudinal mode of a resonant cavity is a particular standing wave pattern formed by waves confined in the cavity. The longitudinal modes correspond to the wavelengths of the wave which are reinforced by constructive interference after many ...

*SPIDER –

spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction In ultrafast optics, spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER) is an ultrashort pulse measurement technique originally developed by Chris Iaconis and Ian Walmsley. The basics SPIDER is an interferometric ultr ...

*SPM –

self-phase modulation Self-phase modulation (SPM) is a nonlinear optical effect of light–matter interaction. An ultrashort pulse of light, when travelling in a medium, will induce a varying refractive index of the medium due to the optical Kerr effect. This variation i ...

T

*TE – transverse electric mode *TEA – transverse electrical discharge in gas at atmospheric pressure *TEM –

transverse electromagnetic mode A transverse mode of electromagnetic radiation is a particular electromagnetic field pattern of the radiation in the plane perpendicular (i.e., transverse) to the radiation's propagation direction. Transverse modes occur in radio waves and microwav ...

*THG –

third harmonic generation Harmonic generation (HG, also called multiple harmonic generation) is a nonlinear optical process in which n photons with the same frequency interact with a nonlinear material, are "combined", and generate a new photon with n times the energy of t ...

*Ti:Sapph –

Ti-sapphire laser Ti:sapphire lasers (also known as Ti:Al2O3 lasers, titanium-sapphire lasers, or Ti:sapphs) are tunable lasers which emit red and infrared, near-infrared light in the range from 650 to 1100 nanometers. These lasers are mainly used in scientific res ...

*TM – transverse magnetic mode

U

*UV –

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...

V

*VCSEL –

vertical cavity surface-emitting laser Vertical is a geometric term of location which may refer to: * Vertical direction, the direction aligned with the direction of the force of gravity, up or down * Vertical (angles), a pair of angles opposite each other, formed by two intersecting s ...

*VECSEL – vertical external cavity surface-emitting laser

W

*WDM –

wavelength division multiplexing In fiber-optic communications, wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) is a technology which multiplexes a number of optical carrier signals onto a single optical fiber by using different wavelengths (i.e., colors) of laser light. This techniq ...

X

*XPM –

cross-phase modulation Cross-phase modulation (XPM) is a nonlinear optical effect where one wavelength of light can affect the phase of another wavelength of light through the optical Kerr effect. When the optical power from a wavelength impacts the refractive index, the ...

*XPW – cross-polarized wave generation

Y

*YAG –

yttrium aluminium garnet Yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG, Y3 Al5 O12) is a synthetic crystalline material of the garnet group. It is a cubic yttrium aluminium oxide phase, with other examples being YAlO3 (YAP) in a hexagonal or an orthorhombic, perovskite-like form, and ...

, Y₃Al₅O₁₂ *YAM – yttrium aluminium monoclinic *YAP – yttrium aluminium perovskite {{Lasers

acronyms An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...