Fast atomic line filter
US4983844A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 17, 1989 |
| Grant date | Jan 8, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 17, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02A90/10
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A fast atomic line filter capable of operating at speeds and quantum efficiencies greatly in excess of prior art atomic line filters. Signal light excites to an intermediate energy level the atoms of a contained vapor. A pump beam further excited these atoms to a higher Rydberg level. Simultaneously the atoms are subjected to an electric field that Stark splits the Rydberg level and ionizes very quickly the doubly excited atoms. The resulting ions or electrons are then detected with near unity quantum efficiency by a detector sensitive to either ions or electrons. By directly detecting the resulting ions or electrons the fast atomic line filter has an inherently higher quantum efficiency and much greater speed than prior art ALF's which must use photosensitive detectors to detect fluorescence.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.