Abstract
The design of the optics for interferometers can often be performed on standard design software with simple assumptions about the laser feed, viewing systems and the surface under test. The problem is that these assumptions quickly become inadequate when modeling perturbations to the system. Yet one of the advantages of using the standard design software is the ease that these perturbations can easily be introduced to the model. The need to examine such perturbations as alignment errors, optical fabrication errors, thermal effects and propagation errors due to non-null test surfaces led to the development of a simple method for evaluating and tolerancing interferometers. The following covers the method of the analysis, along with its advantages and disadvantages. The method is applied to the analysis of a form measuring phase interferometer designed to test the cylindricity of mechanical parts and the predicted performance is compared to experimental results.
© 1998 Optical Society of America
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