Light beam deflection method and apparatus

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1, including conducting varying amounts of electrical current through said heated element to change its temperature so as to vary said index-of-refraction gradient.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 1, including contacting a portion of said medium spaced from said heated element with a second element having relatively high heat conductivity and a lower temperature than said heated element so as to remove heat from said medium in order to create a larger index-of-refraction gradient therein.

Claim 5

Apparatus for variably deflecting a light beam in a predetermined manner, comprising a transparent medium through which said light beam passes, said transparent medium having an index of refraction which can be varied, and an element which transmits heat to said medium for creating and varying in a controlled manner an index-of-refraction gradient by a maximum amount of at least 1 cm 1 when measured in a direction perpendicular to said light beam, in at least a portion of said medium through which said light beam passes.

Claim 6

Apparatus for variably deflecting a light beam in a predetermined manner, comprising a transparent medium through which said light beam passes, said transparent medium having an index of refraction which can be varied, and an element which transmits heat to said medium for creating and varying in a controlled manner an index-of-refraction gradient by a maximum amount of at least 1 cm 1 when measured in a direction perpendicular to said light beam, in at least a portion of said medium through which said light beam passes.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the transparent medium is a solid, a liquid, or a compressed gas.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said element is electrically conductive, and, there is an electric power source for heating said element.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the element has a heat conductivity at least four times greater than the heat conductivity of said medium.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 4, including a body of optically transparent material through which said light beam passes, and wherein said medium is disposed within said body of optically transparent material and in the path of said light beam, and said element which transmits heat to said medium disposed within said medium and spaced from said body of optically transparent material, whereby an index-of-refraction gradient is established which intersects said light beam.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said medium has the shape of an elongate column having a substantially uniform cross-section along its length, and said element is disposed within said medium substantially along the elongate centroidal axis of said column.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said body of optically transparent material and said element have a greater coefficient of heat conductivity than said medium, whereby said apparatus effects sustained and pronounced inhomogeneous heating of said medium and maintains a temperature gradient therein which can be controllably varied.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 8, including cooling means associated with said body of optically transparent material for transmitting heat therefrom.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 8, including means for controlling the temperature of said element.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said element is electrically conductive, and there is an electrical power source for heating said element.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 13, including control means operably connected to said electrical power source and adapted to vary the temperature of said element in a predetermined manner.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, there are two elongated elements capable of transmitting heat to said medium, said elements being disposed in perpendicular and spaced-apart relationship to one another, each of said elements creating within said medium a substantially independent index-of-refraction gradient which intersects said light beam.

Claim 18

Apparatus according to claim 15, including means associated with each of said elements for separately controlling the temperature of said elements.

Claim 19

Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said elements are electrically conductive, and said means include an electrical power source associated with each of said elements for heating said elements.

Claim 20

Apparatus according to claim 17, including control means operably connected to said electrical power source and adapted to separately vary the temperature of each of said elements in a predetermined manner.

Claim 21

Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said two heating elements are disposed at an angle of 45* to the horizontal and create separate spaced-apart index of refraction gradients below themselves, respectively, in portions of said medium through which said light beam successively passes.

Claim 22

Apparatus according to claim 5, including a layer of an optically transparent material disposed adjacent to said medium and opposite said element.

Claim 23

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said body of optically transparent material has an index of refraction at ambient temperature which is substantially equal to the index of refraction of the adjacent part of said medium at ambient temperature.

Claim 24

Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said element and said layer of optically transparent material have a greater coefficient of heat conductivity than said medium, whereby said apparatus effects sustained substantial inhomogeneous heating of saId medium and maintains a temperature gradient therein which can be controllably varied.

Claim 25

Apparatus according to claim 20, including cooling means associated with said layer, of optically transparent material for transmitting heat therefrom to a remote point.

Claim 26

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said element comprises a flat stratum of electrically conductive material, and wherein said medium is a thin layer deposed between said stratum and a body of high heat conductivity, said apparatus being disposed so that said light beam passes through at least a portion of said medium.

Claim 27

Apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said body of high heat conductivity is optically transparent material and has external surfaces through which said light beam passes shaped so that the light beam passes orthogonally through said external surfaces.

Claim 28

Apparatus according to claim 24, including a second layer of material having relatively low heat conductivity disposed in contact with the surface of said element opposite said medium, and a layer of material having relatively high heat conductivity disposed in contact with the surface of said second layer, whereby the center-plane of said element constitutes a plane of substantial thermal symmetry with respect to heat transmitted from each of its surfaces.

Claim 29

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said element which transmits heat to said medium comprises means for generating a substantially collimated beam of electromagnetic waves falling within the electromagnetic energy spectrum of at least partial absorption in said medium and said means directs said collimated beam into said medium whereby it is at least partially absorbed to create heat.

Claim 30

Apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said medium includes a dopant which influences the degree of absorbency of said collimated beam, and, therefore, the amount of heat created in said medium.

Claim 31

Apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said collimated beam comprises high-intensity light.

Claim 32

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said element which transmits heat to said medium comprises means for generating a substantially collimated beam of mechanical waves having a frequency and amplitude sufficient to create heat when said waves pass through said medium, said means directing said collimated beam into said medium.

Claim 33

Apparatus according to claim 30, wherein said collimated beam is ultrasound.

Claim 34

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said element which transmits heat to said medium comprises means for applying an electrical potential through said medium, which electrical potential is sufficiently high to create a current channel through said medium, said current channel creating a concentrated channel of heat within said medium.

Claim 35

Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said element which transmits heat to said medium comprises means for generating a second light beam of a different color than the first light beam and for directing it into said medium, and said medium includes a dye dissolved therein which at least partially optically absorbs said second light beam to a greater extent than said first light beam to create a concentrated channel of heat within said medium.

Claim 36

Apparatus for variably deflecting a light beam in a predetermined manner, comprising a transparent container, two immiscible liquids or solids disposed in overlying relationship to one another within said container so as to form an interface, one said liquid or solid containing ions for which that liquid or solid is a solvent and for which the other liquid or solid is a non-solvent, means for applying an electrical potential across said liquids or solids substantially orthogonal to said interface so as to create an electric field sufficient to force at least some of said ions from said solvent into said non-solvent to form a layer of said non-solvent which has an ion-concentration gradient and therefore an index-of-refraction gradient therethrough, and means for direcTing a light beam into said layer of non-solvent, parallel to and near said interface, so that said light beam will be deflected by the index-of-refraction gradient created in said non-solvent.

Claim 37

Apparatus for variably deflecting a light beam in a predetermined manner, comprising a transparent container, two immiscible liquids or solids disposed in overlying relationship to one another within said container so as to form an interface, one said liquid or solid containing ions for which that liquid or solid is a solvent and for which the other liquid or solid is a non-solvent, means for applying an electrical potential across said liquids or solids substantially orthogonal to said interface so as to create an electric field sufficient to force at least some of said ions from said solvent into said non-solvent to form a layer of said non-solvent which has an ion-concentration gradient and therefore an index-of-refraction gradient therethrough, and means for direcTing a light beam into said layer of non-solvent, parallel to and near said interface, so that said light beam will be deflected by the index-of-refraction gradient created in said non-solvent.