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From: srp@ethz.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.periphs
Subject: Re: optical disks
Message-ID: <411@ethz.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Nov-86 15:44:32 EST
Article-I.D.: ethz.411
Posted: Fri Nov 21 15:44:32 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Nov-86 06:47:00 EST
References: <1256@hoptoad.uucp> <13679@amdcad.UUCP> <102@rb-dc1.UUCP> <2507@phri.UUCP>
Reply-To: srp@ethz.UUCP (Scott Presnell)
Organization: Chem. Dept., Swiss Federal Inst. of Tech. (ETH-Zurich)
Lines: 32
Xref: watmath comp.arch:59 comp.periphs:25

In article <2507@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes:
>	I suppose this is a bit off the wall, but how about using a phased
>array to steer a laser beam over the face of a stationary data surface.
>I'm not 100% sure how you would read the data, and my field theory is so
>rusty that I have no idea if this is even plausable, but it sure could be
>fast.  No moving parts either.
>
>	I remember reading an article about phased-array radars sometime in
>the past year or two.  Probably either IEEE Spectrum or Sci. Am. (How's
>that for a precise reference :-)).  I'll have to go re-read the article.


Maybe not a phased array  alone (yes,  normally used  in radar constuction,
atmosphereic research etc.), but *with* a piezoelectric device  used in the
driving of fast mirrors ( I worked on a proposal for  a starwars laser/fast
mirror  combo)  Although  I  know  something  about phased  array radar (my
father's thesis) I'm not sure how well they work at short  distances and to
what accuracy/resolution they operate.  If this combonation was an implicit
assumption, my apologies...  I just started watching this discussion.  


-- 
-----------

Scott Presnell  Eidgnoessische Technische Hochschule, Zuerich (ETH-Zentrum)
		Labor Fuer Organische Chemie
		Universitaetsstrasse 16
		CH-8092 Zuerich Switzerland.

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