optic axis
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optic axis
n.
An optical path through a crystal along which a ray of light can pass without undergoing double refraction.
optic axis
n
(General Physics) the direction in a uniaxial crystal or one of the two directions in a biaxial crystal along which a ray of unpolarized light may pass without undergoing double refraction
op′tic ax′is
n.
the direction or directions in a crystal along which light is not doubly refracted.
[1655–65]
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| Noun | 1. | optic axis - in a doubly refracting crystal, the line in the direction of which no double refraction occurs; "a crystal may have either one or two optic axes" axis - a straight line through a body or figure that satisfies certain conditions |
| 2. | optic axis - a line that passes through the center of curvature of a lens so that light is neither reflected nor refracted; "in a normal eye the optic axis is the direction in which objects are seen most distinctly" axis - a straight line through a body or figure that satisfies certain conditions |