Single step detection of blurred images in a coherent optical processor.

Two important operations that can be performed by coherent optical processing systems are image detection and image restoration. These operations require complex spatial filters, and if both operations are to be performed, cascaded processing stages employing two separate spatial filters are usually needed. Spatial filters are described that will perform in a single step both operations simultaneously, thus eliminating the need of extra processing stages while providing the advantages of higher efficiency and smaller space requirements. The filters are characterized by their simplicity and are easily fabricated using conventional techniques. Experimental results are presented.