collimator

[ kol-uh-mey-ter ]

noun

1. Optics.
   1. a fixed telescope for use in collimating other instruments.
   2. an optical system that transmits parallel rays of light, as the receiving lens or telescope of a spectroscope.
2. Physics. a device for producing a beam of particles in which the paths of all the particles are parallel.

collimator

/ ˈkɒlɪˌmeɪtə /

noun

1. a small telescope attached to a larger optical instrument as an aid in fixing its line of sight
2. an optical system of lenses and slits producing a nondivergent beam of light, usually for use in spectroscopes
3. any device for limiting the size and angle of spread of a beam of radiation or particles

collimator

/ kŏl′ə-mā′tər /

1. A device that turns incoming radiation, such as light, into parallel beams. Simple collimators consists of a tube having a narrow, variable slit at one end and a convex lens at the other. Radiation entering the tube through the slit exits the lens in the form of parallel beams. Collimators are used to establish focal lengths of lenses and to measure the distance of distant objects whose position is known.

Word History and Origins

Origin of collimator¹

First recorded in 1815–25; collimate + -or ²

Example Sentences

Using a remote, you can control the strength and direction of the water stream with the precision of an angular-distance collimator on an artillery gun.

From Washington Post

Researchers say the collimator also has potential for other cancer detection, such as thyroid or brain tumors.

From Washington Times

These are hooked up to a collimator that they made out of a large cardboard tube with a hole at the end, which narrows the sound waves to a smaller area.

From Washington Post

With the collimator, the coincidence rate drops by a factor of 10, but now exceeds the predicted accidental rate for both orientations.

From Scientific American

For adjusting the mirrors there are two collimators.

From Project Gutenberg