Laser differential confocal paraboloidal vertex radius measurement

Area of Science:

• Optical metrology
• Precision engineering
• Paraboloid optics

Background:

• Accurate measurement of paraboloidal vertex radius is crucial for optical system performance.
• Existing methods may face limitations in precision and complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel laser differential confocal paraboloidal vertex radius measurement (DCPRM) method.
• To achieve high-accuracy measurement of the paraboloidal vertex radius of curvature.

Main Methods:

• Development of a laser differential confocal technique for paraboloid analysis.
• Construction of an autocollimation vertex radius measurement light path using a reflector.
• Utilizing differential confocal positioning to accurately identify the paraboloid's focus and vertex.

Main Results:

• The DCPRM method successfully measures the paraboloidal vertex radius.
• Preliminary experiments demonstrate a relative expanded uncertainty of less than 0.001%.

Conclusions:

• The proposed DCPRM method offers a highly accurate approach for measuring paraboloidal vertex radius.
• This technique has potential applications in precision optics manufacturing and testing.