Diffraction-Based Metrology and Characterization Techniques
We are sometimes very quick to dismiss diffraction as the source of detrimental effects in optical systems. Most famously, perhaps, it is because of diffraction that we are unable on principle to achieve infinitely small spots and perfectly sharp images. So it is good to remind ourselves every once in a while that the fundamental principles of diffraction can be harnessed to our benefit, for instance, to characterize the shape of wavefronts, as is the case in the two examples we are showcasing in this week’s newsletter. The consistent inclusion of diffraction can be a challenge in physical optics modeling, but the fast physical optics software VirtualLab Fusion puts at your disposal a cutting-edge simulation technology that makes the task a lot more efficient and user-friendly.
Interested? Take a look at the use cases below!
Simulation of Reflective Pyramid Wavefront Sensor
This use case shows the modeling a reflective pyramid wavefront sensor by using VirtualLab Fusion’s Field Tracing technology. The resulting characteristic pattern is calculated for different types of first order aberrations.
The Foucault knife-edge test is a well-known historical experiment to determine the characteristics of a given concave-shaped mirror. In this use case we model this test for a spherical and a parabolic mirror.
