Abstract: A process for reading binary information written on a carrier. The carrier has at least one track and the binary information is written onto the carrier at a frequency Fbit. The process includes the step of reading binary information at the sampling frequency F.sub.e to form a succession of successive read samples SAM(k) of the same track. SAM(k) is the read sample of order k, each read sample having a phase .phi.(k) lying between 0 and 2.pi.. The method further includes a step of interpolating to make it possible to calculate an interpolated sample I(k) with phase equal to .pi. which corresponds to read sample SAM(k) on the basis of the read sample and on the i+j read samples which bracket the original read sample SAM(k) such that:I(k)=a.sub.k-i SAM(k-i)+ . . . +a.sub.k SAM(k)+ . . . +a.sub.

Abstract: An optical pickup for recording on and reproduction from recording media of different recording densities (e.g. a high density disk such as a DVD and a lower density disk such as an ordinary CD), and having a compact, thin and low power-consumption design. The optical pickup includes an objective lens, a first optical unit having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element which are used for recording on and reproduction from the high-density optical disk, a second optical unit having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element which are used for recording on and reproduction from the low-density optical disk, a beam splitter for guiding optical axes of the first and second optical units to the same optical axis, and a wavelength filter for changing a diameter of light beams incident on the objective lens between at the time of recording and reproduction for the high-density optical disk and at the time of recording and reproduction for the low-density optical disk.

Abstract: An optical disk initializing apparatus includes the first optical system having a gain waveguide laser, a collimator lens, diffraction gratings, and a 45.degree. mirror, the second optical system having a 680-nm red laser, a polarizing beam splitter, a collimator lens, and a .lambda./4 plate, a dichroic mirror, an objective lens, an optical sensor, a phase compensator, a voltage-current conversion amplifier, and an objective lens actuator. The first optical system outputs a first beam for initialization. The second optical system outputs a second beam having a wavelength different from that of the first beam. The dichroic mirror multiplexes the beam emerging from the first optical system and the second beam emerging from the second optical system. The objective lens focuses an output beam emerging from the dichroic mirror on a phase change recording or magneto-optical recording optical disk. The optical sensor detects a focusing error signal from a return beam of the second beam reflected by the optical disk.

Abstract: Microstylus recording device covered by a magnetoresistive multilayer. According to the invention, a microstylus (12) is covered by a magnetoresistive layer (46).