Litton Systems, Inc.

Michael G Price

Otis G Zehl

Edward H David, Jr

Jerome C Kremen

Robert D Bonney

An acousto-optic device is shown which permits the use of a temperature sensitive solid state laser. The laser is mounted in a heat sink that displaces the laser as a function of temperature in a direction which cancels the drift of the laser's blur spot due to the laser's increased wavelength as a function of temperature.

Thermal stabilization for an acousto-optic device

A system is shown which receives several radio frequency (RF) signals and applies these signals to a Bragg cell through which a beam of coherent light is passed and diffracted into several first order beamlets. The diffraction angle of the beamlets is a function of the frequency of the RF signals. The beamlets are amplified in an amplifier having a fast response time to match the response time of the system. Fiber optic bundles are provided at the input and output of the amplifier to guide the beamlets from a linear pattern into an areal pattern and to spread the beamlets for a more efficient use of the amplifier. The amplified beamlets are then formed into a linear pattern and applied to a photodetector to determine the frequency of the RF signals.

Acousto-optic signal detection system

A device for detecting the centroid of a beam of electromagnetic energy is shown including means for focusing the beam into a blur spot upon a focal plane. Photodetectors located at the focal plane detect the centroid of the blur spot on either side of its nominal location. The intensity of the output from each photodetector is then measured and the difference and sum of these measurements obtained. By dividing the difference by the sum of the resultant signals, it is possible to produce an analog signal which represents the location of the blur spot centroid regardless of its amplitude. This arrangement has particular application in acousto-optic devices for measuring the frequency and direction of arrival of an incoming radio frequency wave.

Method and device for centroid detection of a beam of electromagnetic

An acousto-optic deflector is shown which diffracts a beam of incident light from a zero order beam into a first order beam. Normally such diffraction deflects but 1% of the light energy within the incident beam. This deflection may be improved by successive, internal transits of the light beam across the acoustic energy wave within the deflector. Such internal transits are accomplished by forming the deflector into a cylinder and reflection coating the outer surface of that cylinder to form a mirror pair.

Acousto-optic deflector utilizing internal deflection

An acousto-optic deflector or modulator is shown which diffracts a beam of incident light from a zero order beam into a first order beam. Normally such diffraction deflects but 1% of the light energy within the incident beam. This deflection may be improved by successive transits of the light beam across the acoustic energy wave within the deflector.

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Seabrook, MD, United States of America

Michael G Price