Application of a Shack cube as a beam splitter in interferometers with a local reference beam

Area of Science:

• Optical engineering
• Interferometry

Background:

• Traditional Mach-Zehnder interferometers often use bulky recollimators and parallel-plate beam splitters.
• Testing convergent wavefronts presents specific optical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a new Mach-Zehnder interferometer setup for convergent wavefront testing.
• To introduce the use of a Shack cube as an alternative beam splitter.

Main Methods:

• A Mach-Zehnder interferometer was reconfigured using a Shack cube.
• An equivalent pupil model was developed to explain the point diffraction mechanism.
• Calibration procedures for the modified interferometer were established.

Main Results:

• The Shack cube effectively replaces the recollimator and parallel-plate beam splitter.
• The new setup demonstrates advantages in compactness.
• Superior reference-beam quality was achieved with the Shack cube.

Conclusions:

• The Shack cube offers a more compact and higher-quality beam splitting solution for Mach-Zehnder interferometers.
• This setup provides an effective method for convergent wavefront testing.