Ultrahigh-sensitivity New Super-HARP camera

Abstract

NHK led the world in developing a high-sensitivity Super-HARP pickup tube using the avalanche multiplication effect. The authors have now developed an improved version (2/3-inch, with electromagnetic focusing and electromagnetic deflection) which is eight times more sensitive and has much better lag characteristics. The handy New Super-HARP color camera which uses this newly-developed pickup tube has higher sensitivity than human vision (11 lux, F8), negligibly low lag, and a limiting resolution of over 700 TV lines. It will be a powerful tool in emergency news gathering at night, the production of scientific programs, and other applications.