TABLE OF CONTENTS This glossary of the terms used in the Handbook represents to a large extent the language of optics. The symbols are representations of numbers, variables, and concepts. Although the basic list was compiled by the author of this section, all the editors have contributed and agreed to this set of symbols and definitions. Every attempt has been made to use the same symbols for the same concepts throughout the entire handbook, although there are exceptions. Some symbols seem to be used for many concepts. The symbol ? is a prime example, as it is used for absorptivity, absorption coefficient, coefficient of linear thermal expansion, and more. Although we have tried to limit this kind of redundancy, we have also bowed deeply to custom.
The abbreviations for the most common units are given first. They are consistent with most of the established lists of symbols, such as given by the International Standards Organization ISO1 and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, IUPAP.2
Similarly, a list of the numerical prefixes1 that are most frequently used is given, along with both the common names (where they exist) and the multiples of ten that they represent.
The values of the fundamental constants3 are listed following the sections on SI units.
The most commonly used symbols are then given. Most chapters of the Handbook also have a glossary of the terms and symbols specific to them for the convenience of the reader. In the following list,...
