Maintaining flatness of a large-aperture potassium bromide beamsplitter through mounting and vibration

Patricia A. Losch; James J. Lyons III; Armando Morrell; James B. Heaney

doi:10.1117/12.323729

17 September 1998 Maintaining flatness of a large-aperture potassium bromide beamsplitter through mounting and vibration

Patricia A. Losch, James J. Lyons III, Armando Morrell, James B. Heaney

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3435, Cryogenic Optical Systems and Instruments VIII; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.323729
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1998, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) instrument on the Cassini Mission launched in October of 1997. The CIRS instrument contains a mid-infrared (MIR) and a far-infrared interferometer and operates at 170 Kelvin. The MIR is a Michelson Fourier transform spectrometer utilizing a 76 mm (3 inch) diameter potassium bromide beamsplitter and compensator pair. The potassium bromide elements were tested to verify effects of cooldown and vibration prior to integration into the instrument. The instrument was then aligned to ambient temperatures, tested cryogenically and re-verified after vibration. The stringent design optical figure requirements for the beamsplitter and compensator included fabrication errors, mounting stress and vibration load effects. This paper describes the challenges encountered in mounting the elements to minimize distortion and to survive vibration.

Citation Download Citation

Patricia A. Losch, James J. Lyons III, Armando Morrell, and James B. Heaney "Maintaining flatness of a large-aperture potassium bromide beamsplitter through mounting and vibration", Proc. SPIE 3435, Cryogenic Optical Systems and Instruments VIII, (17 September 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.323729

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