Patent ID: 7561813

Claim:
A wide field of view heterodyne receiver for enhancing mixing efficiency of a returned signal from at least one point source of radiation with a local oscillator signal to generate a heterodyned signal, the returned signal defining a first wave front, the receiver comprising: a. an optics system defining an optical path and a focal plane, the optics system being operative to transmit the returned signal along the optical path and to focus the returned signal onto the focal plane; b. a local oscillator being operative to provide the local oscillator signal, the local oscillator signal defining a second wave front and being directable toward the focal plane; c. a focal plane array being disposed coincident with the focal plane and being operative to receive the focused returned signal and the local oscillator signal; and d. an aperture disposed along the optical path and operative to pass the returned signal therethrough, the aperture being adjustable to selectively regulate the size of a field of view over which the point source of radiation is tracked; wherein the first wave front is oriented substantially parallel relative to the second wave front at the focal plane and the receiver is operative to generate the heterodyned signal based on the focused returned signal and the local oscillator signal.