Light controlled light beam deflector

Claim 2

A light beam deflector as described in claim 2 including two controlling beam generators for producing two independent sets of controlling beams to achieve independent deflection in two directions.

Claim 3

A light beam controller as described in claim 1 in which the interaction medium is a solution of optically saturable dye.

Claim 4

A light beam controller as described in claim 1 in which the interaction medium is a solution of cryptocyanine.

Claim 5

A light beam controller as described in claim 4 in which the dye is phthalocyanine, substituted or non-substituted.

Claim 6

A light beam deflector as described in claim 1 in which the interaction medium is a dye containing molecules which are readily driven to higher energy levels by the application of intense light.

Claim 7

A light beam deflector as described in claim 7 in which the dye has high absorbency and is relatively dilute in the abosrbing sense.

Claim 8

A light beam deflector as described in claim 8 in which the dye has essentially the properties of cryptocyanine with respect to absorbency.

Claim 9

A light beam deflector as described in claim 1 in which the interaction medium is a dye having a relatively fast response and recovery time with respect to change in energy level state of molecules in response to intense light.

Claim 10

A light beam controller as described in claim 10 in which the response time is of the order of one billionth of a second or less.

Claim 11

A light beam deflector as described in claim 6 in which the dye is a copper substituted phthalocyanine.

Claim 12

A light beam deflector as described in claim 12 in which the means for generating the controlling light beam is a laser.

Claim 13

A light beam deflector as described in claim 1 in which the interaction medium is a substance subject to a bleaching effect when subjected to intense radiation and has the property of recovering its previous characteristics after change in the intensity of applied radiation within a time period of The order of billionths of a second.

Claim 14

A light beam controller as described in claim 5 in which the interaction medium comprises a substance having the property to a marked degree of electrons in the molecules being raised to a higher energy level when subjected to intense radiation.

Claim 15

A light beam controller as described in claim 5, in which the interaction medium comprises a substance for which the product of the intensity of the controlling light measured in ergs per square centimeter per second, the lifetime of the upper state of the atoms in seconds and the absorption cross-section in square centimeters divided by the energy of the incident photon of the controlling beam in ergs is no less than unity.

Claim 16

A light beam deflector comprising in combination with a light beam generator for generating a first light beam to be deflected: an optically saturable interaction medium disposed in the path of light emanating from said light beam generator, a second means for generating a light beam for concontrolling the direction of the first and for projecting the controlling light beam through the interaction medium and, a filter having density, progressively increasing along its width, interposed in the path of the controlling beam for providing transverse spatial variation of the intensity of the controlling beam, the controlling beam being projected on to the interaction medium with its intensity varying spatially transversely to the controlling beam and transversely to the first light beam across one face of the interaction medium in a nearly linear manner, for causing variation in the index of refraction of the interaction medium transversely to the controlling beam, thereby bending the first light beam.

Claim 17

A light beam deflector as described in claim 17 in which the areas of the cross-sections of the interaction medium perpendicular to the controlling beam are substantially equal along the controlling beam.

Claim 18

A light beam deflector as described in claim 17 wherein the interaction medium comprises a dye in dilute solution.

Claim 19

A light beam deflector as described in claim 17 in which the interaction medium comprises a semiconductor of the type serving as a detector of radiant energy.

Claim 20

A light beam deflector as described in claim 20 wherein the interaction medium comprises a compound of a metal in Group II of the Periodic Table, with a non-metal in Group VI of the Periodic Table.

Claim 21

A light beam deflector as described in claim 17 wherein the interaction medium comprises cadmium sulphide or selenide.

Claim 22

A light beam deflector comprising in combination with means for generating a first light beam to be deflected: an optically saturable interaction medium in solution disposed in the path of light emanating from said light beam deflector, second means for generating a light beam for controlling the direction of the first and for projecting the controlling light beam through the interaction medium, and means for providing spatial variation of the intensity of the controlling beam transversely to the direction of the controlling beam for causing variation in the index of refraction of the interaction medium transversely to the controlling beam, thereby bending the first light beam, the means for providing spatial variation of the intensity of the controlling beam taking the form of mechanism for causing the controlling beam to be projected onto the interaction medium with its intensity varying spatially in the form of a diffraction grating.

Claim 23

A light beam deflector comprising in combination with a generator for a first light beam to be deflected: an optically saturable interaction medium in solution disposed in the path of light emanating from said light beam generator, second and third generators of coherent light beams for controlling the direction of the first light beam and for projecting the second and third beams constituting controlling beams through the interaction medium, and meAns for providing spatial variation of the intensity of the second and third light beams, each transversely to its direction, and projecting each controlling beam onto the interaction medium with its intensity varying spatially transversely to itself and to the first light beam across one face of the interaction medium in a nearly linear manner for causing variations in the index of refraction of the interaction medium, each transversely to the direction of one of the controlling beams, thereby bending the first light beam, the coherent controlling beam generators being so related as to cause the second and third light beams to interfere and cause both second and third light beams to be projected through the interaction medium, whereby a desired diffraction pattern is produced in the interaction medium due to interference between said second and third light beams constituting two coherent controlling beams.

Claim 24

A light beam deflector comprising in combination with a light beam generator for generating a first beam to be deflected: an optically saturable interaction medium disposed in the path of light emanating from said light beam generator, second and third means for generating second and third light beams for controlling the direction of the first and for projecting the second and third light beams through the interaction medium, and filter means graded transversely for providing transverse spatial variation of the intensity of each of the second and third light beams, the second and third light beams being projected onto the interaction medium, each with its intensity varying spatially transversely to its own direction and transversely to the first light beam across one face of the interaction medium in a nearly linear manner, for causing variations in the index of refraction in the interaction medium, each transversely to one of the second and third light beams, thereby bending the first light beam, the second and third light beams constituting two independent controlling beams so that independent deflection of the first light beam in two directions may be achieved.