detector
A device that detects a signal of interest. In optical imaging, a detector with multiple detecting elements (pixels) is known as an area detector. A digital camera is a type of area detector. A detector may only have a single sensitive element, as is the case with a photomultiplier tube.
See also: area detector, photomultiplier tube, charge coupled device, electron multiplying charge coupled device, scientific complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor detector
