[
  {
    "term": "Actinic Radiation",
    "definition": "Electromagnetic radiation capable of producing chemical changes, photochemical reactions, or biological effects, specifically ultraviolet and short-wavelength blue light."
  },
  {
    "term": "Activator (Mineralogy)",
    "definition": "A trace foreign element or defect within a mineral crystal lattice (e.g. Mn2+, Eu2+, UO2^2+, Cr3+) whose electronic orbital transitions absorb excitation energy and emit fluorescent photons."
  },
  {
    "term": "ANSI Z87.1",
    "definition": "The American National Standard for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices, governing UV absorption requirements for certified safety eyewear."
  },
  {
    "term": "Auto-fluorescence",
    "definition": "The natural, intrinsic emission of fluorescent light from biological tissues, collagen, elastin, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), and flavins without the addition of exogenous fluorescent stains."
  },
  {
    "term": "Bandpass Filter",
    "definition": "An optical device that passes frequencies within a certain range while rejecting (attenuating) frequencies outside that range, such as a ZWB2 filter passing 320-390nm UV-A and blocking visible light."
  },
  {
    "term": "Beta-Carboline",
    "definition": "A heterocyclic alkaloid organic compound found in the epicuticular hyaline layer of scorpions responsible for their intense cyan-green fluorescence under UV-A irradiation."
  },
  {
    "term": "Blacklight Blue (BLB)",
    "definition": "A fluorescent discharge lamp constructed with an integral Wood's filter glass envelope that absorbs visible radiation while transmitting longwave UV-A."
  },
  {
    "term": "Chemiluminescence",
    "definition": "The emission of light resulting directly from a chemical reaction without the absorption of external photons or heat (e.g., the Luminol reaction with blood)."
  },
  {
    "term": "Coproporphyrin III",
    "definition": "An endogenous porphyrin metabolite synthesized by Corynebacterium minutissimum that produces pathognomonic coral-red fluorescence under Wood's lamp examination."
  },
  {
    "term": "Erythema",
    "definition": "Reddening of the skin caused by capillary congestion resulting from acute photochemical damage, primarily induced by UV-B and shortwave UV radiation rather than UV-A."
  },
  {
    "term": "Excitation Spectrum",
    "definition": "The relative efficiency of different wavelengths of incident light in exciting fluorescence or phosphorescence in a specific fluorophore."
  },
  {
    "term": "Fluorophore",
    "definition": "A functional chemical group or molecule containing conjugated pi-electron systems capable of absorbing incident photons of specific wavelengths and re-emitting them at longer wavelengths."
  },
  {
    "term": "Fluorescence",
    "definition": "A form of photoluminescence where photon absorption excites singlet-state electrons that decay radiatively to the ground state within nanoseconds (10^-9 to 10^-7 s), halting immediately when excitation ceases."
  },
  {
    "term": "Fluorescent Penetrant Inspection (FPI)",
    "definition": "A non-destructive testing (NDT) method utilizing capillary action to draw fluorescent dye into micro-defects, inspected under high-intensity 365 nm UV-A per ASTM E1417."
  },
  {
    "term": "InGaN (Indium Gallium Nitride)",
    "definition": "A direct bandgap semiconductor alloy whose tunable bandgap enables solid-state light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to emit narrow-band radiation in the near-UV and violet spectrum (365 nm to 405 nm)."
  },
  {
    "term": "Intersystem Crossing",
    "definition": "An isoenergetic, non-radiative quantum mechanical transition between two electronic states of different spin multiplicity (e.g., singlet excited state S1 to triplet excited state T1), leading to phosphorescence."
  },
  {
    "term": "Irradiance",
    "definition": "The radiant flux received by a surface per unit area, typically measured in microwatts per square centimeter (µW/cm²) or watts per square meter (W/m²)."
  },
  {
    "term": "Jablonski Diagram",
    "definition": "An energy diagram illustrating the electronic ground state, singlet excited states, triplet states, and radiative/non-radiative transitions (absorption, fluorescence, phosphorescence, internal conversion)."
  },
  {
    "term": "Microsporum canis",
    "definition": "A zoophilic dermatophyte fungus causing tinea capitis and tinea corporis, producing pteridine metabolites that fluoresce bright apple-green under Wood's lamp."
  },
  {
    "term": "Nickel Oxide (NiO)",
    "definition": "The inorganic dopant compound (~9% by weight) introduced into barium-sodium silicate glass to formulate authentic Wood's filter glass."
  },
  {
    "term": "Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)",
    "definition": "Techniques for evaluating the properties and integrity of materials, components, or systems without causing permanent physical damage, heavily utilizing 365nm UV-A inspection."
  },
  {
    "term": "Optical Brightening Agent (OBA)",
    "definition": "Synthetic chemical additives (fluorescent whitening agents, typically stilbene derivatives) that absorb ultraviolet light and re-emit visible blue light to counteract fiber yellowing."
  },
  {
    "term": "Phosphorescence",
    "definition": "Photoluminescence involving a spin-forbidden radiative decay from a triplet excited state back to a singlet ground state, resulting in lingering emission lasting milliseconds to hours."
  },
  {
    "term": "Photokeratitis",
    "definition": "Painful acute inflammatory ocular damage to corneal epithelial cells caused by exposure to shortwave UV-B and UV-C radiation, colloquially termed welder's flash or snow blindness."
  },
  {
    "term": "Pityriacitrin",
    "definition": "A bis-indole alkaloid fluorophore synthesized by Malassezia yeasts responsible for the characteristic golden-yellow fluorescence of tinea versicolor under Wood's light."
  },
  {
    "term": "Pyoverdine",
    "definition": "A fluorescent peptidic siderophore secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria that fluoresces lime-green under UV-A illumination."
  },
  {
    "term": "Quenching",
    "definition": "Any photophysical or photochemical process that decreases the fluorescence intensity of a given substance, often caused by heavy metal ions (e.g. Fe3+), molecular oxygen, or high fluorophore concentration."
  },
  {
    "term": "Quinine",
    "definition": "A naturally occurring cinchona alkaloid with high fluorescence quantum yield, emitting intense electric cyan-blue light (~450 nm) under longwave ultraviolet radiation."
  },
  {
    "term": "Radiant Flux",
    "definition": "The total radiant energy emitted, reflected, transmitted, or received per unit time, measured in watts (W) or milliwatts (mW)."
  },
  {
    "term": "Robert Williams Wood",
    "definition": "American experimental physicist (1868–1955) of Johns Hopkins University who invented Wood's glass in 1903 and pioneered research into ultraviolet spectroscopy and infrared photography."
  },
  {
    "term": "Stokes Shift",
    "definition": "The mathematical difference (in energy, wavenumber, or wavelength units) between the band maxima of the absorption and emission spectra of the same electronic transition."
  },
  {
    "term": "Tenebrescence (Photochromism)",
    "definition": "The reversible optical property of certain minerals (such as Hackmanite) to change body color upon exposure to ultraviolet light and fade back upon exposure to visible light."
  },
  {
    "term": "Uranium Glass (Vaseline Glass)",
    "definition": "Glass manufactured with 0.1% to 2% uranium dioxide content, exhibiting characteristic vivid apple-green fluorescence under 365 nm and 395 nm excitation due to uranyl ion photophysics."
  },
  {
    "term": "Uranyl Ion (UO2^2+)",
    "definition": "A linear dioxouranium cation possessing high fluorescence quantum efficiency, responsible for bright green fluorescence in autunite, hyalite opal, and uranium glass."
  },
  {
    "term": "Uric Acid Crystals",
    "definition": "Inorganic crystalline residues formed during the drying and microbial decomposition of mammalian urine that exhibit dull yellow auto-fluorescence under 365 nm UV-A."
  },
  {
    "term": "UV-A Radiation",
    "definition": "Longwave ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation spanning wavelengths from 315 nm to 400 nm (soft UV), encompassing standard black light emissions."
  },
  {
    "term": "UV-B Radiation",
    "definition": "Midwave ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation spanning wavelengths from 280 nm to 315 nm, responsible for erythema (sunburn) and vitamin D synthesis."
  },
  {
    "term": "UV-C Radiation",
    "definition": "Shortwave ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation spanning wavelengths from 100 nm to 280 nm, possessing germicidal sterilization properties via DNA thymine dimerization."
  },
  {
    "term": "Wood's Glass",
    "definition": "Barium-sodium silicate glass doped with approximately 9% nickel oxide that absorbs visible light (>400 nm) while transmitting a narrow band of ultraviolet-A radiation peaking around 365 nm."
  },
  {
    "term": "Wood's Lamp",
    "definition": "A handheld clinical diagnostic tool consisting of a 365nm UV-A light source integrated with a Wood's filter and magnifier, utilized in dermatology to evaluate pigmentary and infectious skin disorders."
  },
  {
    "term": "Yooperlite",
    "definition": "A colloquial term for syenite rock clasts found along the beaches of Lake Superior in Michigan, characterized by abundant inclusions of fluorescent sodalite that glow vivid fire-orange under 365 nm UV-A."
  },
  {
    "term": "ZWB2 Filter",
    "definition": "An optical bandpass filter glass (equivalent to Schott UG1 and Hoya U-340) used in high-performance 365nm LED flashlights to block secondary visible blue-violet emission and transmit pure UV-A."
  }
]