SEDL / STP / STP666-EB / STP33974S

Determining Image Quality and Wavefront Profiles from Interferograms

Platt, BC
Head of the Optical Technology Section, research physicist, and research engineer, University of Dayton Research Institute, Kirtland Air Force Base, N. Mex.

Reynolds, SG
Head of the Optical Technology Section, research physicist, and research engineer, University of Dayton Research Institute, Kirtland Air Force Base, N. Mex.

Holt, TR
Head of the Optical Technology Section, research physicist, and research engineer, University of Dayton Research Institute, Kirtland Air Force Base, N. Mex.

Pages: 14    Published: Jan 1978

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Abstract

This is a tutorial paper showing how to use drafting equipment and a calculator to calculate the geometrical image of a point source and the profile plot along any part of the interferogram. Slope errors of geometrical rays are calculated by measuring the separation and angle of the fringes at each selected point on the interferogram. These angular errors are then plotted on a sheet of graph paper to represent the angular size of the geometrical point-spread function. By integrating the angular errors multiplied by the distance between points, a plot of the surface profile can easily be found.