Title :
Atomic resonance filters
Author :
Gelbwachs, Jerry A.
Author_Institution :
Aerospace Corp., Los Angeles, CA, USA
fDate :
7/1/1988 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The atomic resonance filter (ARF) is an ultranarrowband (Q~105-106), large-acceptance-angle, isotropic optical filter. These features make the device ideally suited for applications in which weak laser signals are detected against a continuum background. The filter properties arise from the physical processes of absorption, emission, and internal energy conversion in atomic vapors. The characteristics of the ARF are described and the underlying physics that governs the operation is discussed. Representative examples of passive, active, and IR filters are presented. A metastable ARF that offers improved solar background-limited performance by filtering signals at Fraunhofer wavelengths is described
Keywords :
optical filters; Fraunhofer wavelengths; IR filters; absorption; active filters; atomic resonance filter; atomic vapors; emission; internal energy conversion; isotropic optical filter; passive filters; solar background-limited performance; ultranarrowband large-acceptance-angle filter; weak laser signals; Active filters; Atom optics; Atomic beams; Electromagnetic wave absorption; Energy conversion; Laser theory; Optical filters; Physics; Resonance; Signal detection;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
