bolometer

American  

[boh-lom-i-ter, buh-] / boʊˈlɒm ɪ tər, bə- /

noun

Physics.

1. a device for measuring minute amounts of radiant energy by determining the changes of resistance in an electric conductor caused by changes in its temperature.

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bolometer British  

/ bəʊˈlɒmɪtə, ˌbəʊləˈmɛtrɪk /

noun

1. a sensitive instrument for measuring radiant energy by the increase in the resistance of an electrical conductor

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Other Word Forms

• bolometric adjective
• bolometrically adverb
• bolometry noun

Etymology

Origin of bolometer

1880–85; < Greek bol ( ḗ ) ray + -o- + -meter

Example Sentences

For example, we can swap the bolometer material from metal to graphene, which has a lower heat capacity and can detect very small changes in its energy quickly.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024

Since a bolometer measures power, or photon number, it is not bound to add quantum noise stemming from the Heisenberg uncertainty principle in the way that parametric amplifiers are.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024

After connecting the bolometer to the 5-ft. infra-red telescope at the University of Arizona's Catalina observatory near Tucson, Low made careful measurements of R Mon's total energy output over a wide range of wave lengths.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last fortnight Dr. Donald H. Andrews of Johns Hopkins University described a bolometer to top them all.

From Time Magazine Archive

They have measured not only the pressure, but also the energy of the radiation by means of a special bolometer.

From The New Physics and Its Evolution by Poincaré, Lucien