The ''RP Photonics Encyclopedia'' (formerly ''Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology'') is an
encyclopedia of
optics
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, ultrav ...
and
optoelectronics
Optoelectronics (or optronics) is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, ''light'' often includes invisible forms of radiat ...
,
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 fi ...
technology,
optical fibers
An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means ...
,
nonlinear optics
Nonlinear optics (NLO) is the branch of optics that describes the behaviour of light in ''nonlinear media'', that is, media in which the polarization density P responds non-linearly to the electric field E of the light. The non-linearity is typic ...
,
optical communications
Optical communication, also known as optical telecommunication, is communication at a distance using light to carry information. It can be performed visually or by using electronic devices. The earliest basic forms of optical communication date ...
,
imaging science
Imaging is the representation or reproduction of an object's form; especially a visual representation (i.e., the formation of an image).
Imaging technology is the application of materials and methods to create, preserve, or duplicate images.
...
, optical
metrology,
spectroscopy and
ultrashort pulse
In optics, an ultrashort pulse, also known as an ultrafast event, is an electromagnetic pulse whose time duration is of the order of a picosecond (10−12 second) or less. Such pulses have a broadband optical spectrum, and can be created by m ...
physics. It is available online as a free resource. An earlier version of the encyclopedia appeared as a two-volume book. , the online version of the encyclopedia contains 938 articles.
Since 2012, the encyclopedia is closely interlinked with the ''RP Photonics Buyer's Guide'', a large directory of photonics product suppliers. For the majority of products, there is a one-to-one correspondence between an encyclopedia article and a listing of suppliers for that product.
Other resources linked with the ''RP Photonics Encyclopedia'' are a
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
named ''The Photonics Spotlight'', a glossary of photonics terms and acronyms, various tutorials, and a photonics quiz.
The author is Dr. Rüdiger Paschotta, founder and managing director of RP Photonics Consulting GmbH in Bad Dürrheim, Germany.
References
External links
RP Photonics Encyclopedia
Encyclopedias of science
German online encyclopedias
Laser science
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