TY - GEN
T1 - Wavefront calibration and correction of an optical train path
T2 - Optical and Infrared Interferometry II
AU - Clark, James H.
AU - Penado, F. Ernesto
AU - Cornelius, Frank
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - For ground-based optical interferometry, the simple specification of high surface quality flat relay mirrors is not the end of the story for obtaining high quality fringes. The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer array transports the stellar radiation from six primary collectors through a 10-reflection vacuum relay system, resulting in six separate combinable wavefronts. The surface error of each of the 60 relay mirrors is specified to be no greater than 32 nm peak-to-valley for fabrication purposes. However, once mounted in the 10-element optical train the errors from each mirror do not necessarily cancel one another, but can add and increase the resultant wavefront distortion for that path. This leads to fringe contrast reduction, reduced ability to fringe track, and a reduction in the limiting magnitude of observable objects. Fortunately, the total wavefront distortion for each train can be measured, calibrated, and nullified by using a phaseshifting interferometer combined with a compliant static deformable mirror and control system. In this paper we describe a system that mitigates the resultant wavefront distortion.
AB - For ground-based optical interferometry, the simple specification of high surface quality flat relay mirrors is not the end of the story for obtaining high quality fringes. The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer array transports the stellar radiation from six primary collectors through a 10-reflection vacuum relay system, resulting in six separate combinable wavefronts. The surface error of each of the 60 relay mirrors is specified to be no greater than 32 nm peak-to-valley for fabrication purposes. However, once mounted in the 10-element optical train the errors from each mirror do not necessarily cancel one another, but can add and increase the resultant wavefront distortion for that path. This leads to fringe contrast reduction, reduced ability to fringe track, and a reduction in the limiting magnitude of observable objects. Fortunately, the total wavefront distortion for each train can be measured, calibrated, and nullified by using a phaseshifting interferometer combined with a compliant static deformable mirror and control system. In this paper we describe a system that mitigates the resultant wavefront distortion.
KW - Adaptive optics
KW - Finite element analysis
KW - Mirror deformations
KW - NPOI
KW - Optical interferometry
KW - Static deformable mirror
KW - Wavefront distortion
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U2 - 10.1117/12.856970
DO - 10.1117/12.856970
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:79953052046
SN - 9780819482242
T3 - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
BT - Optical and Infrared Interferometry II
Y2 - 27 June 2010 through 2 July 2010
ER -