Can somebody explain what a discriminator is?

[johng23]

I work in a laser lab and I'm constantly hearing about electronic components that I don't understand (my background is materials science). This is one example. Could someone either explain or point me to an introductory level reference on what a discriminator is in the context of light detection?

More generally, any advice on a good reference for getting up to speed on basic electronics/circuits concepts quickly would be appreciated. I don't need to understand all the details for the research I do, but right now I feel like I'm in the dark.

 

[Maru]

A discriminator is an electronic circuit that has an output voltage only when the amplitude of the input pulses exceeds a predetermined value. In the context of light detection, I'd say that if they are using a photodiode as well, they could be attempting to activate a circuit element if the light they are detecting is above a certain threshold.

 

[sophiecentaur]

That is a rather specialised definition, I think. I would rather describe 'your' circuit as a Comparator.

The word Discriminator is also used for a circuit which determines the frequency or pulse rate and delivers a voltage - hence the FM discriminator in your FM radio.

We'd need to know the context of the 'discriminator' in question, I think.