Chromatic-aberration diagnostic based on a spectrally resolved lateral-shearing interferometer.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Optical Metrology

Background:

• Chromatic aberrations affect optical system performance by causing wavelength-dependent focal point shifts.
• Accurate characterization of these aberrations is crucial for designing high-performance optical systems, especially for broadband applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a simple and effective diagnostic technique for characterizing one-dimensional chromatic aberrations in broadband beams.
• To demonstrate the method's capability in measuring spectral phase information and delays.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a Ronchi grating placed before a spectrometer entrance slit to couple spectral and spatial phase information.
• Employing a spectrometer to analyze the dispersed light and extract phase data.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated a simple diagnostic for one-dimensional chromatic aberrations.
• Accurately characterized the radial-group delay of a refractive system.
• Precisely measured the pulse-front delay of a wedged glass plate.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method offers a straightforward approach for diagnosing chromatic aberrations in broadband beams.
• The technique provides accurate measurements of spectral phase and temporal delays, valuable for optical system characterization.