Performance of a circle-to-line optical system for a Fabry-Perot interferometer: a laboratory study

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Interferometry
• Optical Instrumentation

Background:

• Fabry-Perot interferometers produce circular fringe patterns.
• Analyzing these patterns often requires specialized equipment or techniques.
• Linear array detectors are common but challenging to use with circular patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and characterize a novel optical device, the circle-to-line interferometer optical (CLIO) system.
• To enable the analysis of Fabry-Perot interferometer fringe patterns using linear detectors.
• To assess the performance and limitations of the CLIO system.

Main Methods:

• The CLIO system utilizes a mirrored kaleidoscope and a cone segment for optical conversion.
• Laboratory experiments were conducted to characterize the system's performance.
• Ray-trace studies were performed to predict and analyze optical aberrations and finesse degradation.

Main Results:

• The CLIO system effectively converts circular Fabry-Perot fringes into a linear pattern.
• Laboratory results closely matched theoretical predictions.
• Optical aberrations were found to be minor, particularly for high F-number systems.
• Finesse degradation introduced by the CLIO system was relatively small.

Conclusions:

• The CLIO system provides a viable method for adapting Fabry-Perot interferometry to linear detection systems.
• The device demonstrates good optical performance with acceptable aberration and finesse loss.
• This innovation simplifies the analysis of Fabry-Perot interferometer data.