photodetector
Americannoun
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Electronics. any device, as a photodiode, phototube, or photovoltaic cell, that uses the photoelectric effect to convert radiant energy into an electrical signal.
Etymology
Origin of photodetector
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Their measurements showed that the thermal photodetector can operate at speeds up to 2.8 GHz.
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026
If the vibration of a gravitational wave warps the path of one of the lasers, making the two beams almost infinitesimally misaligned, the laser will hit the photodetector and alert the scientists.
From Washington Post • Feb. 11, 2016
The machine calibrates the amount of light received by the photodetector against the amount absorbed by the partially oxygenated hemoglobin and presents the data as percent saturation.
From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013
A simple way of measuring the frequency splitting is to mix the split laser modes in a photodetector, which produces a “beat frequency” that corresponds to the frequency difference.
From US News • Jun. 29, 2011
At the end of their journey, these light pulses are picked up by a photodetector, which converts them back to electrical pulses.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
