IEC: International Electric Commission

INFRARED (IR): Electromagnetic radiation which occupies the band from 0.7 microns to 100 microns. Infrared radiation is between the visible spectrum and microwave radiation. Emission of energy as electromagnetic waves in the portion of the spectrum just beyond the limit of the red portion of visible radiation

INSTANTANEOUS FIELD OF VIEW (IFOV): The angle in milliradians derived by dividing the active detector element's size by the system's effective focal length.

IONIZING RADIATION: Generally, any radiation that can form ions, either directly or indirectly, while traveling through a substance. Above visible light and starting in the ultra-violet frequencies, ionizing radiation has sufficient capacity to break a chemical bond and thereby destabilize an atom.

IRAM: Instituto Argentino de Nomalizacion--Argentina (Buenos Aires) / Argentinean Normalization Standards Institute (Standards)

KELVIN: (Lord Kelvin---1824 - 1907) Thermodynamic temperature scale. The zero Kelvin is - 273,16 ºC (Celsius or centigrade) or - 459,7 ºF (Fahrenheit). A temperature scale often used in sciences such as astronomy.

LASER: Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It's a device that produces a coherent beam of optical radiation by stimulating electronic, ionic, or molecular transitions to higher levels so that when they return to lower energy levels they emit energy.

LOW CARBON STEELS: Contain from 0.10 to 0.30% carbon and less than 0.60% manganese. (The product of Basic Oxygen, Bessemer, Open Hearth or Electric Processes.)

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES: Those properties of a material that reveal the elastic and inelastic reaction when force is applied, or that involve the relationship between stress and strain; for example, the modulus of elasticity, tensile strength and fatigue limit. These properties have often been designated as "physical properties," but the term "mechanical properties" is much to be preferred. The mechanical properties of steel are dependent on its microstructure.

MEDIUM-CARBON STEEL: Contains from 0.30% to 0.60% carbon and less than 1.00% manganese. May be made by any of the standard processes.

MERCOSUR: Standard for the common market of the south --CMN (Mercosur Committee of Normalization), Regional Organization of normalization of the Mercosur, integrated by the national organisms of normalization of the countries belonging to the common market: ABNT for the Brazil, INTN for the Paraguay, UNIT for the Uruguay and IRAM for the Argentina. Also, they recently have adhered to the respective organisms from Chile and from Bolivia.

MESOPIC: Intensities of light under which both rods and cones operate

MICRON (m): A measurement of length in the metric system appropriate for measuring infrared radiation wavelengths. 1,000,000 microns equals one meter

MICROWAVE: Electromagnetic radiation which has a long wavelength (between 1 mm and 30 cm). Microwaves can be used to study the Universe, communicate with satellites in Earth orbit, and cook popcorn.

MID INFRARED (MWIR): The middle infrared spectrum, (window) usually from 2.4 to 7.0 microns.

MILLIRADIANS: A measure of small angles. Two thousand-pi milliradians can be measured in a complete circle. There are 17.4 mrads per degree of angle.

MODTRAN: Transmission model. It is most widely used atmospheric absorption.

MODULUS OF ELASTICITY(Tension): Force which would be required to stretch a substance to double its normal length, on the assumption that it would remain perfectly elastic, i.e., obey Hooke's Law throughout the test. The ratio of stress to strain within the perfectly elastic range.

MRTD: Minimum resolvable temperature difference

NANOMETER: Is a unit of measurement of light wavelength. A nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter.

NETD: Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference

NOISE EQUIVALENT TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE (NEDT): Is the temperature difference at which the signal amplitude equals the total noise. That it is when SNR = 1.

NOISE: The random fluctuations that are always associated with a measurement that is repeated many times over. These fluctuations do not represent any real sources of infrared radiation of target, but rather are caused by the imperfections of the system.

OPAQUE: Transmittance (t) equals zero

PASSIVE INFRARED: The normal form of infrared system in use commercially. A passive system does not generate a thermal source to illuminate the scene, it is only acted upon. A passive system monitors the flux of photons already being generated by the scene within its field of view.

PATENTING: Treatment of steel, usually in wire form, in which the metal is gradually heated to about 1830°F, with subsequent cooling, usually in air, in a bath of molten lead, or in a fused salt mixture held between 800°F and 1050°F.

PELTIER EFFECT: The ability for two dissimilar metals and metal/semiconductors to create a thermal difference when current flows across the dissimilar junction

PHOTOGRAPHY: Technique of producing permanent images on sensitized surfaces by means of the photochemical action of light or other forms of radiant energy.

PHOTOPIC: Bright light conditions where only the cones are functional

PHOTOSYNTHESIS: The fundamental chemical process in which green plants (and blue-green algae) utilize the energy of sunlight or other light to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates, with the green pigment chlorophyll acting as the energy converter. This process releases oxygen and is the chief source of atmospheric oxygen

PLASTICITY: The ability of a metal to be deformed extensively without rupture. Plastic deformation is the elongation that occurs that not will be recovered with the removal of the load. pull wire trough the hard die. Also used to cool the wire.

PYROMETER: An instrument of various types used for measuring temperatures

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS: An analysis of objects or processes, which is concerned with measuring temperatures or radiant energy levels by assigning numerical values to the characteristics of the displayed scene.