Acoustic-optic technique for processing many signals simultaneously

摘要

An acousto-optic apparatus utilizing multiplexing techniques, for obtaining the correlation of N pairs of signals. First and second sets of signals are combined in a piezoelectric crystal, and each signal in the first set is correlated only with its pair signal in the second set, that is, with the signal in the second set which has the same R.F. frequency. Each signal is a composite signal comprised of an envelope modulating an R.F. signal, and when a laser beam is directed across the interaction area of the crystal and directed onto a square law detector, the correlation of the envelopes of the N pairs of signals is obtained.