Optical Multiplications With Single Element 2-D Acousto-Optic Laser Beam Deflector

With the current need for developing very fast computers in comparison to conventional digital chip based systems, the future for optical based signal processing is very bright. Attention has turned to a different application of optics utilizing mathematical operations, in which case operations are numerical, sometimes discrete, and often algebraic in nature. Interest has been so vigorous that many view it as a small revolution in optics, whereby optical signal processing is beginning to encompass what is frequently described as optical computing. The term is fully intended to imply a close comparison with the operations performed by scientific digital canputers. This paper will describe the applications of single element 2-D acousto-optic deflectors for optical multiplication systems.