Apparatus and method for use in calibrating the time axis and intensity linearity of a streak camera

摘要

Apparatus is disclosed for use in calibrating the time axis and intensity linearity of a streak camera or any optoelectronic device over any one of a number of different time scales. The apparatus includes a plurality of bundles of optical fibers mounted on a rotation wheel and a pulsed light source. Each bundle of optical fibers is made up of a plurality of optical fibers, each cut to a different length with the differences in length between the fibers in any one bundle being uniform and the differences in length of the fibers in one bundle being different from the differences in length of the fibers in each one of the other bundles. The fibers in each bundle are arranged so that one set of ends terminates in a common input plane and the other set of ends terminates in a common output plane. In using the apparatus, the rotation wheel is positioned so that a selected one of the bundles is located to receive the light pulse from the light source and transmit the light received into the slit of the streak camera. A light pulse entering the bundle from the input end emerges from the output end as a train of pulses of equal intensity, one from each fiber, separated in time from one another in accordance with the difference in lengths of the fibers. In an illustrative embodiment of the invention, the number of bundles of fibers on the rotation wheel is five, the number of fibers in each bundle is ten and the differences in length of the fibers in the different bundles are 1, 2, 4, 10 and 20 cm respectively. As a result, depending on which bundle is illuminated, ten pulses of equal intensity, each separated in time by 50, 100, 200, 500 and 100 picoseconds, respectively, are produced.