Disclosed is a point diffraction interferometer for evaluating the quality of a test optic. In operation, the point diffraction interferometer includes a source of radiation, the test optic, a beam divider, a reference wave pinhole located at an image plane downstream from the test optic, and a detector for detecting an interference pattern produced between a reference wave emitted by the pinhole and a test wave emitted from the test optic. The beam divider produces separate reference and test beams which focus at different laterally separated positions on the image plane. The reference wave pinhole is placed at a region of high intensity (e.g., the focal point) for the reference beam. This allows reference wave to be produced at a relatively high intensity. Also, the beam divider may include elements for phase shifting one or both of the reference and test beams.

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Phase-shifting point diffraction interferometer

A matrix method is developed that allows a new set of Zernike coefficients that describe a surface or wave front appropriate for a new aperture size to be found from an original set of Zernike coefficients that describe the same surface or wave front but use a different aperture size. The new set of coefficients, arranged as elements of a vector, is formed by multiplying the original set of coefficients, also arranged as elements of a vector, by a conversion matrix formed from powers of the ratio of the new to the original aperture and elements of a matrix that forms the weighting coefficients of the radial Zernike polynomial functions. In developing the method, a new matrix method for expressing Zernike polynomial functions is introduced and used. An algorithm is given for creating the conversion matrix along with computer code to implement the algorithm.

Matrix method to find a new set of Zernike coefficients from an original set when the aperture radius is changed.

Zernike circle polynomials are in widespread use for wavefront analysis because of their orthogonality over a circular pupil and their representation of balanced classical aberrations. However, they are not appropriate for noncircular pupils, such as annular, hexagonal, elliptical, rectangular, and square pupils, due to their lack of orthogonality over such pupils. We emphasize the use of orthonormal polynomials for such pupils, but we show how to obtain the Zernike coefficients correctly. We illustrate that the wavefront fitting with a set of orthonormal polynomials is identical to the fitting with a corresponding set of Zernike polynomials. This is a consequence of the fact that each orthonormal polynomial is a linear combination of the Zernike polynomials. However, since the Zernike polynomials do not represent balanced aberrations for a noncircular pupil, the Zernike coefficients lack the physical significance that the orthonormal coefficients provide. We also analyze the error that arises if Zernike polynomials are used for noncircular pupils by treating them as circular pupils and illustrate it with numerical examples.

Orthonormal polynomials in wavefront analysis: error analysis.

Radius of curvature measurement of spherical smooth surfaces by multiple-beam interferometry in reflection

Optical testing: a review and tutorial for optical engineers

Interferometry is an optical testing technique that quantifies the optical path difference (OPD) between a reference wave front and a test wave front based on the interference of light Fringes are formed when the OPD is an integral multiple of the illuminating wavelength The resultant two-dimensional pattern is called an interferogram The function of any interferogram analysis program is to extract this OPD and to produce a representation of the test wave front (or surface) This is accomplished through a three-step process of sampling, ordering, and fitting We develop a generalized linear-algebra vector-notation model of the interferogram sampling and fitting process

H. P. Stahl

Papers

Vector formulation for interferogram surface fitting