Improvements in Light Amplifier Operation

The P. 829 thin film light amplifier has been greatly improved and been shown to be capable of providing very high photon gains exceeding 106, and low dark currents down to 3 scintillations/sq. cm./sec. Under continuous operating conditions, a resolution exceeding 60 line pairs/mm. has been reported, and excellent pulsing characteristics have been achieved at 20 nano seconds exposure time. A tube incorporating a flat photocathode of 2" diameter and a first stage demagnification of 2:1 has been made. Useful information has been gained by using the P. 829 type tube to study stellar spectra, Cerenkov rings, profiles of beams of charged particles, plasma physics, and bioluminescence. Some examples of photographic results obtained in these investigations are given.