This page is optimized for large screens. Zooming may cause some display problems.

glossary

Wavelength ( of a light wave ): distance between two consecutive identical states of the electric ( or magnetic ) field
Quantum efficiency: percentage of photons absorbed by a photodetector and effectively producing a signal
Photodetector: device sensitive to light and converting the absorbed photons into a signal, in most cases into an electrical signal
Bandwidth: width ( expressed in frequency or wavelength unit ) of the spectrum in which a phenomenon is supposed to happen
Signal to noise ratio: (often called by its acronym : SNR) ratio between the signal and the noise; for a photodetector, the signal is the current or voltage generated by the detected light
Shot noise: electronic noise caused by the random motion fluctuations of charge carriers (electrons) in a conductor; in a photodetector, the shot noise is partly intrinsic and partly coming from the photon noise