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The Point Source Microscope, a unique autocollimator
ABSTRACT The Point Source Microscope (PSM) utilizes infinite conjugate optics internally. When the microscope objective is removed, the PSM is an autocollimator. Unlike conventional autocollimators, which use a reticle pattern for illumination, the PSM employs a single-mode fiber. The PSM camera captures a well-focused, circular return reflection when a perfect plane mirror is aligned perpendicular […]
Chapter 2 Radius measurement – the original use of an autostigmatic microscope
After finishing Chapter 1, I was going to jump right into discussing using the PSM for opticalalignment. As I started an outline for this Chapter, one of the entries was locating the center ofcurvature, and this led to radius of curvature which made me think that it would be best toexplain the origin of the […]
Chapter 1 The Optics of the Point Source Microscope (PSM)
This chapter introduces the Point Source Microscope (PSM) as a multipurpose optical metrologyinstrument. For those already familiar with the PSM, many of the following concepts may seemstraightforward. However, for new users—or those with limited background in optics—theoperation and capabilities of the instrument are not immediately obvious. Even experienced usersmay not fully appreciate certain aspects of […]
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