ROI Analysis: When to Invest in a Point Source Microscope for Your Lab
Capital equipment decisions demand rigorous financial justification. When precision optical alignment challenges consume your lab’s time and budget, determining whether a Point Source Microscope delivers adequate return on investment requires examining multiple cost factors, time savings, and performance improvements. At $23,950 for a complete system including Python-based PSM Align software, the Point Source Microscope represents […]
Simulation for Design For Manufacture (DFM) and tolerancing of realistic optical surface scatter for Mid-spatial Frequencies (MSF) and beyond
Simon P. Tsaoussisa, W. Andrew Chenga, Ronnie Appelsb, and Robert E. Parksc aKostaCLOUD Inc., 5795 Commerce Lane, South Miami, FL 33143, USA bTucson Optical Research Corp., 210 S Plumer Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA cOptical Perspectives Group LLC, 7011 E Calle Tolosa, Tucson, AZ 85750, USA ABSTRACT We propose a realistic model for tolerancing ofscattered surface […]
Ritchey-Common Test & Similar Methods Using AI Image Space Phase Retrieval
In this document, we will describe a general approach/method to measure optical surfaces in reflection and/or transmission when the incoming beam is not a simple plane wave. Among such tests are the Hindle test for measuring convex surfaces and the Ritchey-Common (RC) test for flat, concave, or convex surfaces. We will explain the concept using […]
Systematic Method of Optical Alignment Using Aberrations
We use a known optic, a catalog off-axis parabola, as a reference to both model in Zemax and to align while tracking the position of the focus in 3 degrees of freedom (DOF) and the tilt of the auto-reflecting flat in 2 DOF to demonstrate a systematic approach to alignment. The aberrations present at each step of the experimental procedure are monitored using an autostigmatic microscope.
Quasi-Ray Tracing Realization Using a Bessel Beam for Optical Alignment
In this study, we explore the behavior of Bessel beams as they propagate through a
misaligned apertured optical system in practice. Based on experimental observations, we propose
what we believe to be a novel hypothesis that a Bessel beam propagating through an optical
system behaves identically to a paraxial ray under certain conditions. We then derive analytical
formulas for the propagation of Bessel beams in Cartesian coordinates and the Huygens-Fresnel
principle. Additionally, another simulation employing Gaussian decomposition was conducted,
and we compared both simulations with experimental results, demonstrating a high correlation.
Our findings indicate that Bessel beams can be interpreted as meridional rays when passing
through misaligned spherical surface systems, allowing us to achieve quasi-ray tracing in practice.
We further discuss the significance of utilizing this property of Bessel beams for precise optical
alignment, highlighting its potential to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of optical systems.
Physical Ray Tracing With Bessel Beams
Following the discovery of so called non-diffracting Bessel beams [1], they have been used for a number of exotic purposes such as trapping single atoms and aiding in the discovery of exoplanets. We discuss more mundane but practical methods applicable to precision engineering, and the physical ray tracing of a ball lens in transmission to determine if it behaves as geometrical optics predicts.