= Photonics
<Photonics> studies and engineers the generation, transport, manipulation and detection of <light>. A photonic system may combine a <laser>, <optical waveguides>, modulators and <photodetectors> to carry information or measure a physical quantity.
An optical communication link illustrates the chain: a source produces <light>, a modulator encodes a signal, a waveguide transports it, and a detector converts received <photons> into an electrical response. <Wavelength>, polarization and <phase> can provide different information channels. Loss and detector noise determine how much of the encoded information is recoverable, so moving a signal optically does not remove the need for a quantitative signal model.
Back to article page
