Design and applications of an hybrid acousto-optic processor

An algorithm has been devised to process digital signals using an acoustooptic convolver. The corresponding driving circuitry has been built using PLD (programmable logic device) circuitry. The timing conditions for the emission of the signal and reference ultrasonic waves, for the detection of the convolution signal at the photodetector, and for their memorization have been analyzed. The system has been qualified using various experiments involving FIR (finite-impulse response) filtering, correlation, and matrix multiplication.<<ETX>>