Abstract: A transceiver for a two-way laser beam link in a communications system handles data blocks and stand-down blocks on both in-coming and out-going laser beams. The transceiver includes a detector unit which monitors the in-coming laser beam, and sends an interrupt signal on its out-going beam whenever the quality of the in-coming beam passes a predetermined threshold. Additionally, the transceiver includes an injector for inserting stand-down blocks onto its out-going beam in response to interrupt signals that are received on its in-coming beam. A router is provided at the transceiver for removing stand-down blocks from its in-coming beam. Appropriate buffers are provided at the transceiver so that laser transmissions with other transceivers can be made at a baud rate which is approximately twice as fast as the data signaling rate used on non-laser connections between each transceiver and other components of the system.

Abstract: A device and method for aligning the focal point of a laser beam into coincidence with the active area of a detector includes an optical element for focusing the laser beam to the focal point at a location on the surface of the detector. Also included is a selectively activated light source and a camera which establishes a reference location for the active area within an x-y grid coordinate system whenever the surface of the detector is illuminated by the light source. Further, by using the light that is reflected from the focal point location through a beam splitter, the camera also establishes the location of the laser beam focal point in the same coordinate system. The optical element is then adjusted to move the focal point in the x and y directions, as required, to thereby bring the focal point location into coincidence with the active area.

Abstract: A thin diamond electron beam amplifier. The illumination side of a thin diamond is illuminated by a seed electron beam creating electron-hole pairs in the diamond. A voltage potential provides an electric field between the illumination side of the diamond and an acceleration grid opposite the emission side of the diamond. Electrons released in the diamond are accelerated through the emission side of the diamond toward the acceleration grid creating an amplified electron beam. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are useful to provide flat panel displays and replacements for thermionic cathodes.

Abstract: A device and method for aligning the focal point of a laser beam into coincidence with the active area of a detector includes an optical element for focusing the laser beam to the focal point at a location on the surface of the detector. Also included is a selectively activated light source and a camera which establishes a reference location for the active area within an x-y grid coordinate system whenever the surface of the detector is illuminated by the light source. Further, by using the light that is reflected from the focal point location through a beam splitter, the camera also establishes the location of the laser beam focal point in the same coordinate system. The optical element is then adjusted to move the focal point in the x and y directions, as required, to thereby bring the focal point location into coincidence with the active area.

Abstract: A thin diamond electron beam amplifier. The illumination side of a thin diamond is illuminated by a seed electron beam creating electron-hole pairs in the diamond. A voltage potential provides an electric field between the illumination side of the diamond and an acceleration grid opposite the emission side of the diamond. Electrons released in the diamond are accelerated through the emission side of the diamond toward the acceleration grid creating an amplified electron beam. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are useful to provide flat panel displays and replacements for thermionic cathodes.

Abstract: A thin diamond electron beam amplifier. The illumination side of a thin diamond is illuminated by a seed electron beam creating electron-hole pairs in the diamond. A voltage potential provides an electric field between the illumination side of the diamond and an acceleration grid opposite the emission side of the diamond. Electrons released in the diamond are accelerated through the emission side of the diamond toward the acceleration grid creating an amplified electron beam. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are useful to provide flat panel displays and replacements for thermionic cathodes, cathode ray tubes, fast photodetectors and image intensifiers.

Abstract: A Voigt optical filter. Crossed polarizers are provided at the entrance and exit of a vapor cell continuing an alkali metal vapor. A magnet provides a magnetic field at 90.degree. with the axis of the cell and 45.degree. with each polarizer direction. The only light which passes through the filter is light within a narrow frequency band near the atomic transitions (absorption peaks) of the alkali metal vapor.

Abstract: A laser radar system capable of measuring windspeed to within 1 m/s at distances in the range of 10 km. The system comprises two Faraday atomic line filter/detectors combinations, a first filter-detector which consist of a metal vapor cell located between crossed polarizers. A magnetic field is applied to the cell which Zeeman splits the energy levels resulting in different absorption lines for left and right circularly polarized light. Near these lines the filter acts as a Faraday rotator providing rotary power only in the vicinity of an absorption line, which provides the 90 degree rotation necessary to pass the second polarizer. At higher fields and vapor densities multiple rotations lead to rapid modulations in the transmission spectrum. Away from the absorption line the filter provides an out of band rejection that is determined by the extinction ratio of the crossed polarizers. By tuning the temperature and the magnetic field in each Faraday filter sharply crossing response curves can be produced.

Abstract: A fast atomic line filter capable of operating at speeds and quantum efficiencies greatly in excess of prior art atomic line filters. Signal light excites to an intermediate energy level the atoms of a contained vapor. A pump beam further excited these atoms to a higher Rydberg level. Simultaneously the atoms are subjected to an electric field that Stark splits the Rydberg level and ionizes very quickly the doubly excited atoms. The resulting ions or electrons are then detected with near unity quantum efficiency by a detector sensitive to either ions or electrons. By directly detecting the resulting ions or electrons the fast atomic line filter has an inherently higher quantum efficiency and much greater speed than prior art ALF's which must use photosensitive detectors to detect fluorescence.

Abstract: A 3-D visual display apparatus. A sealed chamber having one or more walls transparent to visible light contains a gas having a first excited state and a second excited state which second excited state relaxes with the emission of visible light. A first laser source excites a small first volume of the gas to the first excited state and a second laser source excites a second volume, which is a small portion of the small first volume, to the second excited state which relaxes to emit visible light in all directions from the small second volume. This small light emitting volume appears as a small spot of light. Rapid movement of the two lasers permits the creation of other light emitting spots quickly enough to produce what appears to the human eye as a 3-D display. By proper choice of gases and lasers, visible light in all colors can be emitted from the spots to produce a 3-D color display.