Photonics

Photonics is the science and technology of generating, transmitting, controlling, and detecting light. It uses optical devices and systems to manipulate light for communication, measurement, imaging, and other purposes.

Laser: A device that produces coherent light through stimulated emission. Lasers provide controlled light sources for many photonic systems.
Fiber-optic communication: The transmission of information as light pulses through optical fibers. It is a major application of photonics, carrying data over long distances.
Photon: The quantum of the electromagnetic field, carrying energy and momentum. Photonics controls light, whose energy is exchanged in quantized units.
Electronics: The technology of controlling electrical charge to process or transmit signals. Photonics uses light as a signal carrier, while electronics primarily uses charge.
Optical waveguide: A structure that confines and guides light along a defined path. Waveguides carry light through fibers and integrated photonic circuits.
Optical coherence tomography: An imaging technique that uses reflected light to create cross-sectional images of tissue. It shows how controlled light can reveal internal structure without cutting tissue.
Electromagnetic wave: A propagating disturbance of electric and magnetic fields that transports energy. Classical wave behavior describes propagation, interference, and polarization in photonic systems.
Optics: The study of light’s behavior and its interactions with matter. Optics supplies much of photonics’ physical foundation; photonics emphasizes devices and systems.
Optical resonator: A structure that makes light circulate or reflect repeatedly to select or enhance optical frequencies. Resonators shape spectra and strengthen light–matter interactions in photonic devices.
Lidar: A remote-sensing method that measures distance using reflected laser light. Photonic sources and detectors let lidar map objects and environments.

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OptoelectronicsCompared with: It overlaps strongly with optoelectronics but also includes optical systems without electrical conversion.