Telescope & optical systems alignment

Lens alignment is an extremely common problem. This task can be complicated and very time consuming. The HASO wavefront sensors developed by Imagine Optic provide a valuable aid, allowing you to perform this task quickly and precisely.

Whether in a single or double pass configuration, the Shack-Hartmann HASO wavefront analyzers and R-Flex2 modules with Waveview4 software provide the reliability and ease of use needed to successfully align your lens or collimate your collimator. The Waveview 4 software’s automatic detection and tracking of the measurement pupil and the SpotTracker software module’s absolute measurement of the beam tilts are two essential features for a successful alignment operation.

The HASO4 and R-Flex2 have been successfully used for the alignment of prestigious instruments, including the Herschel, GAIA, and Euclid spatial telescopes.

At Imagine Optic, we believe that any application is better served by the ability to perform absolute measurement, even if the final result is based on relative measurement. Why? Because it provides an objective point of reference for decision making. we pioneered a compact metrology tool, called HASO R-Flex which is based on the SH sensing technique, to facilitate the characterization of optical components or systems and alignment of a telescope. The inspecting beam can be either a collimated or divergent beam.

Achieving absolute measurement over a wide dynamic range is a challenge that few manage to overcome. Many manufacturers are unclear as to their devices’ capacities or, in the rare cases where detailed information is provided, the dynamic and wavelength ranges are not specified. These same providers prefer to insist on the sensitivity, the repeatability or the precision of measurements in relative measurement mode.

All of these terms mean the same thing – the ability of the device to measure minute variations in the wavefront’s phase in relation to known data. Plainly stated, this does not apply to the device’s ability to measure the beam’s phase in relation to the form of its own true wavefront. Only Imagine Optic provides written proof of our HASO wavefront sensors’ dynamic range and wavelength range in absolute measurement mode. 

Publications:
The optical alignment of the two GAIA three mirror anastigmatic telescopes

Application notes

Relevant products