Method of lightening radiation darkened optical elements
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsFrederich R. Reich, Albert R. Schwankoff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of lightening a radiation-darkened optical element in wich visible optical energy or electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of from about 2000 to about 20,000 angstroms is directed into the radiation-darkened optical element; the method may be used to lighten radiation-darkened optical element in-situ during the use of the optical element to transmit data by electronically separating the optical energy from the optical output by frequency filtering, data cooling, or interlacing the optic energy between data intervals.
Claims19
A method of lightening a radiation-darkened optical element, comprising directing electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of from about 2000 to about 20,000 angstroms into a preselected area of the optical element for a period of time sufficient to effect the desired lightening.
A method of lightening a radiation-darkened in-situ optical element without disturbing the transmission of information by the optical element, comprising directing electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of from about 2000 to about 20,000 angstroms into a preselected area of the optical element for a period of time sufficient to effect the desired lightening, and providing means for maintaining the directed electromagnetic radiation separate from the transmitted information, whereby the optical element is lightened in-situ while in use transmitting information without interference by the directed electromagnetic radiation.
A method of lightening a radiation-darkened in-situ galss fiber optic, comprising providing a source of light having a wavelength in the range of from about 2000 to about 20,000 angstroms, directing the light into the in-situ glass fiber optic, and moving the light over a preselected volume of the in-situ glass fiber optic for a period of time sufficient to effect the desired lightening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.