Method and apparatus for holographic wavefront diagnostics
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorJohn S. Toeppen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wavefront diagnostic apparatus has an optic and a measuring system. The optic forms a holographic image in response to a beam of light striking a hologram formed on a surface of the optic. The measuring system detects the position of the array of holographic images and compares the positions of the array of holographic images to a reference holographic image.
Claims20
A wavefront diagnostic apparatus for determining the parallelism of rays of light within a beam of light, the wavefront diagnostic comprising:
- optical means for forming a projected holographic image in response to an incident beam of light;
- and
- measuring means for detecting the projected holographic image and for comparing the projected holographic image to a reference holographic image,
- wherein the parallelism of the rays of light within the incident beam of light is determined by the degree of variation between the projected holographic image and the reference holographic image.
A method for measuring the parallelism of a beam of light, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a collimated beam of light;
- providing a test beam of light;
- providing an optic having an array of
- transmission holograms formed on a surface of the optic;
- illuminating the optic with the collimated beam of light, the optic forming an array of regularly spaced focal spots made by the collimated beam as projected holographic images;
- detecting a position of each spot of the array of spots made by the collimated beam;
- storing the position of said each spot;
- illuminating the optic with the test beam of light, the optic forming an array of test regularly spaced focal spots as projected holographic images, each of said test regularly spaced focal spots corresponding to one of the array of spots made by the collimated beam;
- detecting position of each of the test regularly spaced focal spots;
- and
- comparing the position of said each of the test regularly spaced focal spots to its corresponding one of the array of spots made by the collimated beam.
A wavefront diagnostic apparatus for determining the parallelism of rays of light within a beam of light, the wavefront diagnostic comprising:
- optical means for forming a projected holographic image in response to an incident beam of light;
- and
- measuring means for detecting the projected holographic image and for comparing the projected holographic image to a real object,
- wherein the parallelism of the rays of light within the incident beam of light is determined by the degree of variation between the projected holographic image and the real object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.