Mirror tilt immunity interferometry with a cat's eye retroreflector

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Interferometry
• Optical Design

Background:

• Double-pass homodyne polarization interferometers are crucial for precise measurements.
• Cat's eye retroreflectors offer unique optical properties.
• Mirror tilt can degrade interferometer performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the novel integration of a cat's eye retroreflector in a double-pass homodyne polarization interferometer.
• To quantify the mirror tilt immunity provided by the cat's eye retroreflector.
• To compare the performance of this novel interferometer with one using a cube corner.

Main Methods:

• Paraxial approximation using 4x4 ABCD matrices for theoretical calculation.
• Optimization and analysis of a real cat's eye retroreflector using Zemax optical design software.
• Numerical calculation of maximum mirror tilt immunity, considering aberrations like defocus and spherical aberration.
• Comparison of Lissajous pattern amplitude under target mirror tilt for both interferometer types.

Main Results:

• A specific target mirror position was identified that maximizes tilt immunity.
• Maximum mirror tilt immunity was numerically calculated in terms of defocus and spherical aberration.
• The interferometer with the integrated cat's eye demonstrated superior performance in maintaining Lissajous pattern amplitude under mirror tilt compared to a cube corner interferometer.

Conclusions:

• The novel integration of a cat's eye retroreflector significantly enhances mirror tilt immunity in double-pass homodyne polarization interferometers.
• Aberration optimization in real cat's eye systems is crucial for maximizing performance.
• This cat's eye retroreflector design offers a notable advantage over traditional cube corner reflectors for applications sensitive to mirror tilt.