Mirror Alignment Guide

Photonics Tech Briefs INSIDER

Optical Surfaces Ltd.(Surrey, UK) has produced a new 10-page practical alignment guide for high precision off-axis paraboloids (OAP) to enable users to get top performance from their optics. The illustrated alignment guide includes an introduction to OAP geometry as well as step-by step instructions on initial alignment; tips to correct for errors in focus & tilt, set off-axis distance and rotation and a final alignment procedure to ensure optimized performance. Off-axis paraboloids (OAPs), sometimes refered to as off-axis parabolic mirrors or off-axis parabola, provide an unobstructed aperture allowing complete access to the focal region as well as reducing the size and minimizing the weight of a design. They are especially suitable for broadband or multiple wavelength applications due to their completely achromatic performance.