Colloidal crystal generating, controlling, and detecting photons (packets of light), particularly in the visible and near Infrared, but also extending to the Ultraviolet, Infrared and far IR portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The science of photonics includes the emission, transmission, amplification, detection, modulation, and switching of lightwaves over a broad range of frequencies and wavelengths. Photonic devices include electro-optic components such as lasers (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) and optical fiber. Applications include telecommunications, information processing, illumination, spectroscopy, holography, medicine (surgery, vision correction, endoscopy), military (guided missile) technology, agriculture and robotics. Polycrystalline colloidal structures have been identified as the basic
Stimulated emission given by where the proportionality constant "B" is known as the "Einstein B coefficient" for that particular transition, and "ρ"("ν") is the radiation density of the incident field at frequency "ν". The rate of emission is thus proportional to the number of atoms in the excited state "N", and to the density of incident photons. At the same time, there will be a process of atomic absorption which "removes" energy from the field while raising electrons from the lower state to the upper state. Its rate is given by an essentially identical equation, The rate of absorption is thus proportional