Calibration of a Shack-Hartmann sensor for absolute measurements of wavefronts.
We demonstrate a method with which to calibrate a Shack-Hartmann sensor for absolute wavefront measurement of collimated laser beams. Nearly perfect spherical wavefronts originating from a single-mode fiber were used as references. After the calibration, the uncertainty of the wavefront was less than lambda/100 peak to valley across a diameter of 6 mm. For example, this method allowed us to balance aberrations and prepare collimated beams with wavefronts that are plane to lambda/500 across 1 mm.
Chernyshov
Alexander
A
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany.
Sterr
Uwe
U
Riehle
Fritz
F
Helmcke
Jürgen
J
Pfund
Johannes
J