Inventors:
Mary J. Miller - Springfield VA
Gregory J. Salamo - Fayetteville AR
William W. Clark - Lorton VA
Gary L. Wood - Centerville VA
Edward J. Sharp - Fredericksburg VA
Brian D. Monson - Tulsa OK
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army - Washington DC
International Classification:
H01J 314, H01J 516, H01J 4014
Abstract:
A passive broadband sensor protection and enhancement system and technique. ncident light is focused with a cylindrical lens on the optical axis into an intense light strip onto the input face of a photorefractive crystal on the optical axis. The crystal includes optional anti-reflection coatings proximate to the input and output face. A broadband high reflection coating is proximate to the input face for reflection of all radiation from approximately 0. 68 to at least out to 1. 5 micrometers wavelength. Light exiting from the output face of the crystal results from a photorefractive process that includes a transmitted beam and beam fan. The beam fan is fanned out of the optical path in a direction determined by the c-axis, dominant electro-optic coefficient, and charge carriers participating in the photorefractive process. The transmitted beam contains only incoherent radiation as input to a sensitive detector resulting in broadband multiline protection from the visible spectrum for substantially all pulsewidths and cw lasers, with enhanced time response and interaction length.