Photonic Data Recording Systems

Steady advancement has been made in bringing photonic recorder technologies from a pure research and development stage to the practical laboratory and fielding environment. Streak camera-based systems have been incorporated into large data recording systems and have shown significant improvement in channel density and single-shot bandwidth. In particular, remote photonic sensing using fiber optic cables to transmit the information to the recorder has shown advantages over conventional coax cable methods. One streak camera-based recorder system has been designed into the underground test (UGT) data acquisition system. The design allowed for video rate readout, redundant digitized image storage, UGT system compatibility, and full real time system diagnostics. Another stand-alone streak camera-based recorder has been designed that incorporates an IEEE-488 interface and a unique software package. Operation of this photonic recorder system (PRS-1000), as either a streak imaging recorder or as a high-speed multi-channel data recorder (HSMCDR), has been greatly simplified through use of the icon-driven, window-based custom software. An overview of photonic recording methods will be presented along with the details of the PRS-1000 and the associated system software.