Femtosecond laser - A laser that uses extremely short pulses of light, measured in quadrillionths (millionths of a billionth) of a second.
Photon - A particle of light.
Reflection - The change in direction experienced by light when it hits a surface or object, such as a mirror.
Scattered light - Light that is caused to deviate from its normally straight path, due to an obstacle, for example, and move in a way that is different from a simple reflection from a surface, for example a spreading out of a light beam after it hits a wall.
Our nation’s leadership in science and innovation has never depended solely on brilliant researchers or robust federal research budgets. It has also always depended on the less visible network of people and organizations that make discovery possible: America’s Discovery Infrastructure.