Coastal delivers advanced optical monitoring systems

17 Jun 2002

Coastal Optical Systems, Inc. (COSI) under contract with Teledyne BrownEngineering (TBE) has delivered four space-qualified Advanced OpticalMonitoring Systems (AOMS) for the Observable Protein Crystal GrowthApparatus (OPCGA).

The AOMS is the heart of the space-based OPCGA instrument being built byTBE for Dr. Alexander McPherson of the University of California atIrvine (UCI). The AOMS is a compact, solid-optics Mach Zenderinterferometer that measures and records phase data of a solution aboutgrowing protein crystals.

The four Advanced Optical Monitoring Systems designed by Teledyne BrownEngineering and built by Coastal Optical Systems consist of 26 opticalelements including fiber collimator, solid-optics Mach-Zenderinterferometer, Fourier transform optics, phase modulator and camera.The entire operational interferometer is no larger than a calculator andfits into the palm of your hand. TBE took delivery of thespace-qualified assemblies in September, 1998.