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Abstract

An optical interferometric apparatus in which the intensity transmission factor is electrically controllable between at least one radiation beam input and at least one radiation beam output includes an interferometric device with a beam splitter for producing two coherent partial beams which pass via corresponding partial beam paths to a beam combining device where they interfere. In at least one of the partial beam paths there is disposed an electro-optical device in which the optical length of the portion of the partial beam path in question passing through it is electrically changeable, e.g., by means of the refractive index. The partial beams are combined strictly parallel with each other, so that the output beam provided by the beam combining device has a constant phase across its width and the intensity can be varied essentially between the full intensity of the input beam and zero by an appropriate change of the optical path length.

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First Claim