Patent ID: 6671053
Filing Date: 2003-12-30
Classification: G01J

Abstract:
An apparatus for controlling and measuring pulsed electromagnetic radiation, in particular an auto-correlator, comprising;a beam receiver (12) splitting incident electromagnetic radiation, preferably collimated laser light (L) into two split beams (S, T), a superposition or focusing device (18 resp. 58), preferably a lens, situated behind the beam receiver (12) and recombining the split beams (S, T), and a detector (20) situated in a recombination zone of the split beams (S, T) and detecting the split beams, wherein the beam receiver (12) comprises at least two beam profile splitter elements (14, 16; 24, 26; 34, 36; 44, 46; 54, 56) which are configured next to each other, and wherein the incident electromagnetic radiation, after contacting surfaces of the at least two beam profile splitter elements, has its cross section spatially split to produce two split beams of lesser spatial cross section, and means for altering the time domain of one of the split beams of lesser cross section (S,T) exiting from one surface of one of the at least two beam profile splitter elements (14, 16; 24, 26; 34, 36; 44, 46; 54, 56) as compared to the other of the exiting split beams by either mutually displacing one of the at least two beam profile splitter elements with respect to another of the at least two beam profile splitter elements or by altering a state of one of the at least two beam profile splitter elements with respect to another of the at least two beam profile splitter elements.