Acousto-optic image processing in coherent light

The results of recent studies on coherent acousto-optic image processing performed at the chair of physics of oscillations at the Department of Physics of Moscow State University are reported. It is shown that this processing method is based on the filtration of the spatial spectrum of an optical signal in an acousto-optic cell. The main attention is paid to the analysis of the dependence of the transfer function of the cell on the crystal cut, geometry of acousto-optic interaction, and acoustic-wave parameters. It is shown that an acousto-optic cell allows the image differentiation and integration as well as the visualisation of phase objects. The results of experiments and computer simulation are presented which illustrate the possibilities of acousto-optic image processing.