Abstract: A apparatus and method for coherently stretching or compressing signals of nterest, i.e. without loss of information. A first, or tapping, Bragg cell has an acoustic signal launched in it which is modulated onto a laser carrier. The signal of interest is launched into a second, or signal, Bragg cell, and is similarly modulated onto the carrier exiting the first Bragg cell. Upon demodulation, the resultant signal, is the convolution of the two acoustic signals in the respective Bragg cells, but whose duration is either stretched or compressed according to the relative velocity between the acoustic signals in the two Bragg cells, and by the magnification of optics between the two cells. If the signal in the first Bragg cell is of such a short duration that it is effectively an impulse, the resultant signal is a coherently stretched or compressed replica of the signal launched into the second Bragg cell, i.e. the signal of interest.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for maintaining the proper shape and orientation of a carton with respect to a fill pipe of a liquid packaging machine during a liquid-filling operation. The apparatus, internal carton guides attached to a fill pipe, are elongated fin-shaped members which are adapted to engage opposite corners of a carton. The internal container guides include tapered lowered edges which gradually direct the corners of the carton to the outermost edges of the guides. The uppermost edges of the internal container guides include stop members which serve to engage the top edge of the container and inhibit any further upward movement. The internal container guides securely maintain the container in a stable and properly-oriented position throughout the liquid-filling operation.

Abstract: An industrial waste management facility (IWMF) for disposing of spent potlining includes a co-current gas-fired rotary kiln for containing a molten pool of spent potlining throughout the entire length of the rotary kiln from the inlet to the outlet, an ash quencher and cooler for receiving molten residue from the discharge end of the rotary kiln, a secondary combustion chamber, and a down-draft transition chamber for channeling discharge gases from the rotary kiln to the secondary combustion chamber. Pneumatic injection slingers feed and distribute spent potlining into the inlet end of the rotary kiln. A discharge dam provides a predetermined average depth of molten bath material in the rotary kiln over its entire length. A blended ratio of comminuted materials injected through the pneumatic injection slinger feeder is adjusted and controlled in response to signals received from a radiative optical kiln bath temperature measurement system.

Abstract: An industrial waste management facility (IWMF) for disposing of spent potlining includes a co-current gas-fired rotary kiln for containing a molten pool of spent potlining throughout the entire length of the rotary kiln from the inlet to the outlet, an ash quencher and cooler for receiving molten residue from the discharge end of the rotary kiln, a secondary combustion chamber, and a down-draft transition chamber for channeling discharge gases from the rotary kiln to the secondary combustion chamber. Pneumatic injection slingers feed and distribute spent potlining into the inlet end of the rotary kiln. A discharge dam provides a predetermined average depth of molten bath material in the rotary kiln over its entire length. A blended ratio of comminuted materials injected through the pneumatic injection slinger feeder is adjusted and controlled in response to signals received from a radiative optical kiln bath temperature measurement system.

Abstract: An industrial waste management facility (IWMF) for disposing of spent potlining includes a co-current gas-fired rotary kiln for containing a molten pool of spent potlining throughout the entire length of the rotary kiln from the inlet to the outlet, an ash quencher and cooler for receiving molten residue from the discharge end of the rotary kiln, a secondary combustion chamber, and a down-draft transition chamber for channeling discharge gases from the rotary kiln to the secondary combustion chamber. Pneumatic injection slingers feed and distribute spent potlining into the inlet end of the rotary kiln. A discharge dam provides a predetermined average depth of molten bath material in the rotary kiln over its entire length. A blended ratio of comminuted materials injected through the pneumatic injection slinger feeder is adjusted and controlled in response to signals received from a radiative optical kiln bath temperature measurement system.

Abstract: A thermal treatment system for converting contaminants in soil to non-hazardous compounds. The system includes a combustion chamber in which the soils to be treated are heated to a temperature above the volatilization temperature of the contaminants in the soil. Reagents are injected into the gas stream above the soil which contains the volatized contaminants to interact with the inorganic contaminants to form solid particles that can be collected on a filter for safe disposal. The volatized organic contaminants are burned to form non-toxic combustion gases.

Abstract: A system for the controlled safe shutdown of a hazardous waste incinerator upon loss of power. The system includes a primary combustion chamber and a secondary combustion chamber, a gas treatment system, and two standby power sources. One standby power source is available immediately for elements that cannot be shut down even for a second. The other standby power source is a heavy duty generator that takes a short time to get up to speed but is used to power elements that can be allowed to coast for a short time without causing damage to the equipment or the environment. The system includes an uninterruptable power source connected to continue supplying heat and air to the secondary combustion chamber and prevent opening an emergency vent stack cap and thereby prevent the unwanted discharge of gas from the system.

Abstract: A common-path interferometric acoustic-optic heterodyne spectrum analyzer ving high immunity to ambient vibration uses two, counter-propagating beams, two Bragg cells for beam diffraction, a series of waveplates and a birefringent quartz wedge. Proper light polarization with the waveplates and Bragg cell geometry allows one Bragg cell to diffract primarily the clockwise beam and the other Bragg cell to diffract the counterclockwise beam. The birefringent quartz wedge shifts the diffracted beams to provide a heterodyne signal with a non-zero IF carrier frequency. The analyzer is highly angle compensated and alignment stable when components are disturbed in position or orientation.

Abstract: An improved compact optical and rugged laser-driven RF spectrum analyzer ng made up of slab-like waveguide means. The waveguide means has at one end enhanced surface diffraction grating means for intercepting and selectively diffracting a laser source beam so that the diffracted laser beam is deflected, expanded and focussed to converge toward the other end and in relation to both a surface acoustic wave (SAW) and detector array means. The waveguide means includes novel combined signal detection and arcuate-shaped transducer (CSD/AT) means between its ends for forming and directing the SAW in response to a detected RF (microwave) signal to be analyzed such that the SAW optically intercepts, interacts and further diffracts in Bragg-Cell-like fashion that converging beam so as to deflect same relative to detector array means at the other end of the waveguide means.

Abstract: Disclosed as a beamforming system, particularly useful for seismic exploration or undersea surveillance, in which data processing of the system is done optically. Sensor outputs are subjected to plural sets of time delays, and the system beams formed optically. Four embodiments are presented of the optical processing hardware.

Abstract: Correlation is used to enhance the temporal resolution capability of incident energy detectors for high bandwidth signals. Such enhanced resolution is attained by using a primary response of the detectors, which may be weak but which accurately replicates the temporal waveshape of the incident energy pulse. A secondary response of the detectors, which is delayed from and more powerful than the primary response, but does not track the incident energy pulse as well as the primary, is correlated with the primary response. The secondary response is preferably passed through an inverse matched filter to provide a pulse more faithfully following the incident energy pulse prior to correlation with the primary response. Circuitry is provided for performing the enhancement, and a modulating device is used to permit the detector to respond to long-duration incident energy.

Abstract: A triple matrix product processor for optically multiplying three matrices U. G, and V, comprising a matrix-vector processor for sequentially multiplying each column of an M.times.N matrix G by at least a row of a P.times.M matrix U so that the 1.sup.th column of G is multiplied by the at least a row of matrix U producing at least the il.sup.th element of an intermediate result. The triple matrix product processor further includes an outer product processor for multiplying at least the il.sup.th element of the intermediate result with the 1.sup.th row of an N.times.Q matrix V producing at least a row of an N.times.N outer product matrix in a first plane, and a time-integrating optical detector array for summing the light impinging on the first plane from the outer product processor to produce all or a portion of a P.times. triple matrix product after all of the N columns of the matrix G and all of the N rows of the matrix V have been cycled through the processors.

Abstract: An integrated optical signal processor device. The device includes a thin film of yttrium iron garnet ferrite material formed on a gadolinium gallium garnet substrate. A guided optical beam in a first polarization mode is directed through the thin film. A stripline antenna formed on the surface of the thin film is coupled to receive a microwave RF input signal. Under the influence of a bias magnetic field, the RF input signal excites a magnetostatic wave in the thin film. By means of Bragg diffraction, the magnetostatic wave diffracts the guided optical beam and thereby converts a portion of the beam into a second orthogonal polarization mode in response to the RF input signal. The guided optical beam is thereby modulated by the RF input signal. A preferred embodiment is disclosed which can be configured to form a spectrum analyzer, a time integrating correlator, and a space integrating convolver.

Abstract: A signal processor for generating the ambiguity integral using a modulatable, broadband, incoherent light source, a multiplicity of acousto-optic cells and diffraction gratings, and a two-dimensional time-integrating photodetector array. The various colors of the source spectrum are shifted by differing radio frequencies. These modified spectral components are also modulated by an input signal and serve as input sources for performing a multiplicity of correlations using an acousto-optic cell with an unknown Doppler-shifted signal. The answer is displayed on a two-dimensional time-integrating photodetector array where the spectral components are dispersed within the columns. The row corresponding to the color that has been properly frequency-compensated will contain the correlation or ambiguity peak, thereby identifying the Doppler component. Position within the row determines range.

Abstract: An acousto-optic time integrating two-dimensional frequency scanning correlator for cross-correlating signals which are separated in frequency. Two coherent light beams which are derived from the same laser are fed across respective Bragg cells, one cell having the signal A(t) cos .omega..sub.A t propagating thereacross and the other cell having the signal B(t) cos .omega..sub.B t propagating thereacross. The respective output beams are comprised in the x direction and expanded in the y direction and are made incident on an acousto-optical correlator device having chirp signals counter-propagating thereacross. The optical output is fed to a time-integrating photodiode array which provides an output signal corresponding to the cross-correlation of A(t) and B(t). In a further embodiment, the two Bragg cells are replaced by a single Bragg cell and beams having different polarizations are fed thereacross.

Abstract: A highly efficient time integrating acousto-optic correlator which determs the time difference of arrival of the signals being correlated as well as the center frequency and bandwidth of the signals. A surface acoustic wave delay line is provided with two counter-propagating surface acoustic waves with wavefronts tilted with respect to each other. Two laser beams are directed across the propagating waves with an angle of 4.theta..sub..beta. between them where .theta..sub..beta. is the Bragg angle, so that one beam interacts primarily with one propagating wave while the other beam interacts primarily with the other wave. The modulated optical beams are directed to a time-integrating photodetector means which provides a signal output corresponding to the correlation function.

Abstract: Method for gasifying cellulosic material comprises feeding cellulosic material into the uphill end of an inclined rotary kiln; transporting a bed of cellulosic material through the kiln and continuously tumbling the bed; withdrawing fuel gas from the uphill end of the kiln so it flows countercurrent to the bed and removes moisture in the drying zone and thermally decompose volatiles in the devolatilization zone; admitting air overbed in the devolatilization zone and only underbed in the gasifying zone; and controlling the mass flow rate of air into the devolatilization and gasifying zones respectively as predetermined percentages of that rate of which is stoichiometric to the cellulosic material fed into the kiln to thereby limit temperature rise, prevent agglomeration and minimize entrainment of solid particles.

Abstract: A method for producing durable optical baffling materials comprising poling to a mirror finish the surface of a starting material, preferably having a very fine-grained structure, and then bombarding the surface of the starting material with low energy (0 to 50 keV) pulsed electrodes at a pulse length of about 0.1 microseconds. A fluence of 0.5 cal/cm.sup.2 renders the surface completely black in appearance, retaining none of its initial mirror-like properties.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for controlling the angle of incidence of low-egy, high current density electron beams are disclosed. The apparatus includes a current generating diode arrangement with a mesh anode for producing a drifting electron beam. An auxiliary grounded screen electrode is placed between the anode and a target for controlling the average angle of incidence of electrons in the drifting electron beam. According to the method of the present invention, movement of the auxiliary screen electrode relative to the target and the anode permits reliable and reproducible adjustment of the average angle of incidence of the electrons in low energy, high current density relativistic electron beams.

Abstract: An apparatus and operation is disclosed in which light solids material such as shredded paper passes from an upper end of a column and heavier material such as glass and metal particles drop from a lower end of the column. The column includes an air locked feed chute having a downwardly inclined material feeding surface, that opens intermediate the column ends into a stream of air moving upwardly in the column, for admitting mixed light and heavy particles of refuse material to the air stream. A zone of expanded volume is provided at the level where the column and the chute come together and this zone extends upwardly from the material feeding surface and terminates at a level below the upper end of the column where column cross section area is less than beneath the expanded zone.