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Alignment of a three-mirror anastigmat using the sine condition test
Abstract:
Continuing to develop the sine condition test (SCTest), we show how violations of the generalized sine condition can be used to align a three-mirror anastigmat (TMA). This paper shows how the linear aberrations measured using the sine condition, along with aberrations that have constant field dependence, can be used to align a system. We discuss the design of the test hardware needed to align a TMA and the procedure for alignment. Using simulation, we then investigate the behavior of the alignment SCTest for various levels of mirror misalignment, mirror fabrication errors, and misalignment of the test equipment. All of these tests show that the alignment SCTest can successfully align an optical system.
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