Optical architectures for real-time image processing and pattern recognition

In this work we summarize some of the work of our team in the last years, devoted to the use of spatial light modulators (SLM) in optical correlators and optical image processors. We have built an optical processor that uses two liquid crystal SLMs, one to implement the image to be processed and a second one to implement a Fourier filter. We analyzed the advantages of the use of SLMs, but also the restrictions they impose. We proposed several architectures and filters design to take profit of this SLM based optical processor.