Lateral shearing interferometry: evaluation and control of the optical performance of astronomical telescopes

Eli Ettedgui-Atad; John W. Harris; Colin M. Humphries; Victoria C. Salter

doi:10.1117/12.19276

1 July 1990 Lateral shearing interferometry: evaluation and control of the optical performance of astronomical telescopes

Eli Ettedgui-Atad, John W. Harris, Colin M. Humphries, Victoria C. Salter

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 1236, Advanced Technology Optical Telescopes IV; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.19276
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation for the 21st Century, 1990, Tucson, AZ, United States

Abstract

A system aimed at real-time wavefront analysis at the focus of an astronomical telescope has been developed. The method uses Zernike polynomial descriptions of the fringes from a lateral shearing interferometer and the resulting Zernike coefficients for the sheared state are matrix transformed to those of the real wavefront. Tests to confirm that the method operates correctly are described and preliminary results are given with the interferometer at the focus of a Ritchey-Chretien telescope. Applications include quantitative evaluation and correction of telescope mirror misalignments, active optics, and the determination of dome and atmospheric seeing parameters.

Citation Download Citation

Eli Ettedgui-Atad, John W. Harris, Colin M. Humphries, and Victoria C. Salter "Lateral shearing interferometry: evaluation and control of the optical performance of astronomical telescopes", Proc. SPIE 1236, Advanced Technology Optical Telescopes IV, (1 July 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.19276

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