MURAL - Maynooth University Research Archive Library



    Active alignment for two-beam interferometers


    Kalamatianos, Dimitrios and Wellstead, Peter (2006) Active alignment for two-beam interferometers. Review of Scientific Instruments, 77 (1). 013103-1.

    [img] Download (2MB)


    Share your research

    Twitter Facebook LinkedIn GooglePlus Email more...



    Add this article to your Mendeley library


    Abstract

    An active control system is described for the automatic alignment of the mirrors in a two-beam interferometer. From an initial unaligned position the active control system determines the degree of misalignment and adjusts the relative mirror positions accordingly. An embodiment of the system is described for a Michelson interferometer in which one of the mirrors is mounted upon three piezoelectric transducers PZT arranged so that they can both tilt and retard the mirror. Laser sources and corresponding photodetectors are also incorporated such that a control system can use the PZT actuators to produce a series of mirror movements relative to the fixed mirror and give a set of two-dimensional diffraction patterns one for each of the laser photodetectors. Amplitude and phase information is extracted from these patterns which enables the control system to align the mirrors such that the diffraction pattern maxima is at the center of the instrument central photodetector. In a further stage of the control algorithm, the alignment accuracy is refined using information from the laser photodetectors during retardation of the mirror. In this manner, the initial mirror alignment, maintaining that alignment during retardation and diagnosis of possible misalignment, become part of a single active control technology for instrument alignment.

    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Active alignment; Two-beam; Interferometers
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Social Sciences
    Faculty of Science and Engineering > Research Institutes > Hamilton Institute
    Item ID: 942
    Depositing User: Peter Wellstead
    Date Deposited: 17 Apr 2008
    Journal or Publication Title: Review of Scientific Instruments
    Publisher: American Institute of Physics
    Refereed: Yes
    URI:
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

    Repository Staff Only(login required)

    View Item Item control page

    Downloads

    Downloads per month over past year

    Origin of downloads