A high-aperture, high gain system for fast recording under low light level conditions

A high speed recording system is being constructed capable of recording with film or TV camera or being used as a direct optical viewer under lowlight conditions. The system uses a special lens design which optimizes all the relevant modifying factors to give a high grade image onto the photocathode of a microchannel plate intensifying tube. The tube is switched using a custom built circuit giving 100ns. to 10 micro s. pulse width and a repetition rate of 0 to 20 KHz. The switching can be synchronized to a GaAs pulsed laser for optical gating and increased definition.