optical bench

noun

: an apparatus that is fitted for the convenient location and adjustment of light sources and optical devices and that is used for the observation and measurement of optical phenomena

Examples of optical bench in a Sentence

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Then around 2000, DLR Göttingen developed a variant called Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) that uses a natural textured background and digital imaging to produce Schlieren images without the need for special lighting or complex optical bench set ups. David Szondy, New Atlas, 3 Mar. 2025 For starters, the setup would require a square meter’s worth of optical elements precisely aligned on an optical bench, Steinberg says. Anil Ananthaswamy, Scientific American, 2 July 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of optical bench was in 1883

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Cite this Entry

“Optical bench.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optical%20bench. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

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