Space integrating ambiguity processor

Claim 1

A two-dimensional optical processor, comprising: means for providing a coherent light beam; a two-dimensional detector; means for modulating the light beam in a first spatial dimension, x, said x-modulating means including a first one-dimensional spatial light modulator to which is provided a first modulating signal; means for expanding the x-modulated beam in a second, mutually orthogonal spatial dimension, y; means for modulating said expanded x-modulated beam in the second spatial dimension, said y-modulating means including a second one-dimensional spatial light modulator to which is provided a second modulating signal; optical means for focusing the twice-modulated light beam at a plane perpendicular to the beam such that position in one direction t' on the plane corresponds to time delay in both modulating signals and position in a perpendicular direction τ' on the plane corresponds to relative time delay between the modulating signals; optical means in said plane for matching the phase of the modulating signals within said focused beam, and optical means for imaging said phase-matched beam along one axis τ' and transforming said beam along a perpendicular axis t' and for illuminating the detector with the resulting light beam.