Simple Setup to Teach Optical Alignment Ashley Carter Amherst College Goal for the lab skill builder Skill builder for Research LabIndustry Aligning lasersoptical components Build system from an ID: 762568
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Simple Setup to Teach Optical Alignment Ashley Carter Amherst College
Goal for the lab = skill builder Skill builder for Research Lab/Industry Aligning lasers/optical components Build system from an optical diagram AAPT Lab Guidelines
Goal for the lab = skill builder Skill builder for Research Lab/Industry Aligning lasers/optical components Build system from an optical diagram
Optical Alignment Lab Part 1: Align a laser to two irises using two mirrors
Optical Alignment Lab Part 1: Align a laser to two irises using two mirrors Part 2: Measure the beam width or beam divergence
Optical Alignment Lab Part 1: Align a laser to two irises using two mirrors Part 2: Measure the beam width or beam divergence Part 3: Expand the beam with a telescope
Optical Alignment Lab Part 1: Align a laser to two irises using two mirrors Part 2: Measure the beam width or beam divergence Part 3: Expand the beam with a telescopePart 4: Spatially filter beam with pinhole Pinhole
Why the Optical Alignment Lab rocks! Skill builder for Research Lab/IndustryPlug ‘n’ Play Can plug it into a 3 hour lab course and play itOr can take 1 week
Why the Optical Alignment Lab rocks! Skill builder for Research Lab/IndustryPlug ‘n’ Play Many possible follow ups Interferometer Resonator Mcleod Lab – from ECEN Advanced Optics
Why the Optical Alignment Lab rocks! Skill builder for Research Lab/Industry Plug ‘n’ PlayMany possible follow ups Spectrometer Holography Mcleod Lab – from ECEN Advanced Optics
Why the Optical Alignment Lab rocks! Skill builder for Research Lab/Industry Plug ‘n’ PlayMany possible follow upsCheap - $250 a setup for top-of-the-line components All levels
Why the Optical Alignment Lab fails Problem 1 – Students have no idea what they are doing at first Problem 2 – Students rush through the lab and develop bad habits Problem 3 – Nothing “exciting” happens
Fixes for Each Problem Problem 1 – Students have no idea what they are doing at first Start with the basics – identify components/terms Need to give step-by-step instructions Post Post Holder Part 1: Align Laser to 2 Irises
Fixes for Each Problem Problem 2 – Students rush through the lab and develop bad habits Emphasize that perfection is important Have a list of dos/don’ts Optics Rules to live by! All I am asking for is… …total perfection
Fixes for Each Problem Problem 3 – Nothing “exciting” happens Have “fun” assessments Absent-minded professor Target-practice Perfection Most Collimated Beam Open-ended Project
Conclusions Optical Alignment lab is a great choice for an optics lab Talk to me if you are using this lab or are interested in using this lab
Acknowledgements Students: Luka Devenica , Bishop Grimm, Yilikal Sarka
Fixes for Each Problem Problem 3 – Nothing “exciting” happens Have “fun” assessments Absent-minded professor – faculty/TA checks alignment after removing some components or checks alignment after bumping a component and giving students 2 minutes to resetTarget-practice – faculty/TA adds third iris to setup at a location farther down the beam path to see if alignment is still goodPerfection – faculty/TA tears down entire system and gives student 5-10 minutes to rebuild Most Collimated Beam – Look at the beam on a far wall after students have used the telescope to collimate. The team with the smallest beam width on the wall wins.Open-ended Project – Add a component to the system to make something. Pinhole or annulus for spatial filter, polarizer and polarizing beam splitter for intensity modulator, photodiode for trip wire, camera and sample for microscope, etc.