Aspheric subaperture stitching based on system modeling

Instead of various mathematical stitching algorithms, an aspheric subaperture stitching interferometric method relying on modern computer modeling technique is presented. Based on our previously reported non-null annular subaperture stitching interferometry (NASSI), a simultaneous reverse optimizing reconstruction (SROR) method based on system modeling is proposed for full aperture figure error reconstruction. All the subaperture measurements are simulated simultaneously with a multi-configuration model in a ray tracing program. With the multi-configuration model, full aperture figure error would be extracted in form of Zernike polynomials from subapertures wavefront data by the SROR method. This method concurrently accomplishes subaperture retrace error and misalignment correction, requiring neither complex mathematical algorithms nor subaperture overlaps. Experiment results showing the validity of SROR method are presented.