Coherent-optical image converter

Claim 1

An image converter tube for registering rapidly changing processes in a coherent optical analog computer for direct time conversion of an incoherent image into a coherent image comprising a photo cathode for receiving an incoherent light beam and generating electron emission corresponding to an incoherent image, a viewing screen, a transparent planar anode mounted on said viewing screen, an electron optic for imaging the emission of said photo cathode, an electrical optical crystal layer mounted on said anode, a dielectric mirror coating on said crystal layer, said crystal layer receiving the emission from said cathode and providing in response thereto together with a high potential on said anode an image dependent field distribution which causes an image dependent charge distribution on the surface of said crystal facing said cathode, and means for externally illuminating the electrical optical crystal with a linear polarized laser light beam which, after passing through said electrical optical crystal layer, is rotated in its direction of polarization, and analyzer means for intensity modulating the rotated beam, said cathode being a planar photo cathode on which an incoherent image is reproducible for which all image points are directly and simultaneously transferable through emission to said electrical optical crystal layer.