Abstract
A non-contact optical method for testing of large concave and convex mirrors both spherical and aspheric is presented. It is based on the orthogonal ray interferometer modification. The point source is placed near the testing mirror and the chief ray propagates normally to its axis. The information about a tangential profile of testing mirror is contained in an interference pattern that is a result of superposition between two wavefronts, the first is reflected from the mirror, the second bypasses the mirror. Testing of the entire surface is carried out by rotating the mirror. Interferogram decoding method and algorithm for determination of an error of the testing surface are presented. The proposed method does not require bulky additional optical components what differs it from existing methods and makes promising primary for testing large astronomical mirrors. Furthermore, the method is universal and suited for surfaces with various geometrical parameters. The scheme with some modification of the present method is applied for surfaces without axis of rotational symmetry or freeform surfaces.
Published Version
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