Large-aperture Dove prism for a rotational shearing interferometer

Abstract

An analytical expression is derived for the tilt introduced into a wave front by a Dove prism with manufacturing errors: error in the base angles and in the pyramidal angle. We found that the tilt decreases when the base angles are increased above the values of traditional design. The increase in the length-aperture ratio of a prism is detrimental to its performance. However, a Dove prism with a widened aperture increases throughput and keeps prism weight manageable for implementation in the rotational shearing interferometer. Thus, we propose a Dove prism designed with a widened aperture to increase throughput in the rotational shearing interferometer and with larger base angles to minimize the wave-front tilt introduced due to manufacturing errors.