Wan Xiaoke, Ge Jian, Chen Zhiping
Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Bryant Space Science Center, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA.
Appl Opt. 2011 Jul 20;50(21):4105-14. doi: 10.1364/AO.50.004105.
Bulk wide-field Michelson interferometers are very useful for high precision applications in remote sensing and astronomy. A stable monolithic Michelson interferometer is a key element in high precision radial velocity (RV) measurements for extrasolar planets searching and studies. Thermal stress analysis shows that matching coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) is a critical requirement for ensuring interferometer stability. This requirement leads to a novel design using BK7 and LAK7 materials, such that the monolithic interferometer is free from thermal distortion. The processes of design, fabrication, and testing of interferometers are described in detail. In performance evaluations, the field angle is typically 23.8° and thermal sensitivity is typically -2.6×10(-6)/°C near 550 nm, which corresponds to ∼800 m/s/°C in the RV scale. Low-cost interferometer products have been commissioned in multiple RV instruments, and they are producing high stability performance over long term operations.
体视场迈克尔逊干涉仪在遥感和天文学的高精度应用中非常有用。稳定的单片迈克尔逊干涉仪是用于系外行星搜索和研究的高精度径向速度（RV）测量中的关键元件。热应力分析表明，热膨胀系数（CTE）的匹配系数是确保干涉仪稳定性的关键要求。这一要求导致了一种使用BK7和LAK7材料的新颖设计，使得单片干涉仪不受热变形影响。详细描述了干涉仪的设计、制造和测试过程。在性能评估中，视场角通常为23.8°，在550 nm附近热灵敏度通常为-2.6×10（-6）/°C，这在RV尺度上相当于约800 m/s/°C。低成本干涉仪产品已在多个RV仪器中投入使用，并且在长期运行中表现出高稳定性。
