The Center for Freeform Optics
An Industry/University Cooperative Research Center

Assembly of a freeform off-axis optical system employing three φ-polynomial Zernike mirrors

Kyle Fuerschbach, Gregg E. Davis, Kevin P. Thompson, and Jannick P. Rolland

in Optics Letters

We report on the assembly of an off-axis reflective imaging system employing freeform, ?φ-polynomial optical surfaces. The sensitivity of the system to manufacturing errors is studied for both a passive and active alignment approach. The as-built system maintains diffraction-limited performance in the long-wave infrared.