| Subject |
has definition |
has synonym |
|---|
| bolometer | A device for measuring the total amount of radiant energy received from a celestial object. | |
| EBS | Electron Bombarded Silicon. | |
| Golay cell | A gas bulb used to detect infrared radiation. | |
| hybrid array | A device in which the roles of radiation (infrared mostly) detector and signal multiplexer are separated. The device is a sandwich of two slabs. Other names include focal plane array (FPA) and sensor chip assembly (SCA). | |
| imager | | |
| microphotometer | A device for measuring the variations in density in a photographic emulsion. | |
| PDA | Photodiode array. | |
| photodiode | A light-sensitive device made from the junction of two differently doped species of a semiconductor such as silicon. Also known as a pn junction. An internal electric field is generated at the junction of p and n type material. Photons absorbed in the junction create electron-hole pairs which are separated by the field and create a current. | |
| photoelectric device | Any detector which uses the photoelectric effect to convert photons to electrons. | |
| spectrograph | An instrument that records the amount of light in each range of wavelength, that is, in each range of color. In general, each type of astronomical object, such as a star or a galaxy, will emit a characteristic spectrum of light. (See spectrum.) | spectrometer |
| SSPM | Solid State Photomultiplier. | |
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