Electro-optical processing in radio astronomy.

Electro-optical techniques are beginning to find application in radio astronomy. A brief survey of radio-astronomy instruments and the processing of the radio signals is given. It is shown how a comparatively simple electro-optical processor can not only perform the functions of current, electronic devices but can also allow processing not practical by other techniques. As an illustration an electro-optical spectrograph is described and some observational results are shown. Possible future applications of such instruments are given.