Automated Interferometric Evaluation Of Optical Components At The European Southern Observatory (ESO)

A. Choudry; H. Dekker; D. Enard

doi:10.1117/12.935357

26 October 1983 Automated Interferometric Evaluation Of Optical Components At The European Southern Observatory (ESO)

A. Choudry, H. Dekker, D. Enard

Proceedings Volume 0398, Industrial Applications of Laser Technology; (1983) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.935357
Event: 1983 International Technical Conference/Europe, 1983, Geneva, Switzerland

Abstract

In an attempt to approach the theoretical limits of performance, modern telescope design places higher and higher demands on the quality of the components. Digital image processing is playing an increasingly important role in at least two distinct aspects of this endeavor. On the one hand analysis of patterns from optical quality control tests e.g. interferometry, Shack-Hartmann etc., is being made more quantitative through the digital analysis. Furthermore, active-optics, to correct for some of the more important defects in the optics and telescope maintenance, is envisaged to become an integral part of the new telescopes. Digital image processing is an essential ingredient of the active-optics approach of ESO's New Technology Telescope (NTT). If its full potential is realised it would considerably relax the otherwise most stringent requirements on optical quality and the telescope maintenance infra-structure. There is thus substantial impetus given to the development of digital techniques to meet these goals. Here we shall discuss the development of digital techniques for the analysis of interferograms originating from interferometric tests conducted to check the quality of optical components. Light passing through the component is made to interfere with a coherent reference beam. The resulting interferogram is digitally analysed to yield the fringe positions and order. To this data a fit of pseudo-Zernike polynomials is made to quantitatively evaluate the various optical aberrations.

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A. Choudry, H. Dekker, and D. Enard "Automated Interferometric Evaluation Of Optical Components At The European Southern Observatory (ESO)", Proc. SPIE 0398, Industrial Applications of Laser Technology, (26 October 1983); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.935357

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