A four-stage Proxitronic® image intensifier system with digital video readout provides high detective quantum efficiency photon-counting imaging. The objective is to demonstrate a prototype system for further evaluation of image intensifier capabilities in speckle imaging applications, and to demonstrate an observing system opumized for use in diffraction- and statistics-limited imaging with accurate noise bias calibration at the lowest possible photon flux with the highest possible photon-counting efficiency. The phosphor image is Kowa® transfer-lens coupled to a Pu!nix® CCD video camera at 2: 1 reduction to preserve high spatial frequency response. The data are digitized at the telescope and fiber-optic coupled synchronously to a digital video processor which can operate with non-interlaced full-frame subtraction in linear grey-scale analog mode as well as in photon-centroiding event-counting mode. A MathCop2® 18MHz floating point math coprocessor provides quick-look capability for near-realtime inspection of image spectra or Knox-Thompson cross-spectra, using FFF methods for grey-scale data or vector autocorrelation for event data.

Date Published: 1 August 1990
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 1237, Amplitude and Intensity Spatial Interferometry, (1 August 1990); doi: 10.1117/12.19322

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1237:
Amplitude and Intensity Spatial Interferometry
James B. Breckinridge, Editor(s)