Design Improvements Boast Alignment Precision - Ultra-stable and Compact Retroreflectors

27 Sep 2022

LASER COMPONENTS presents a range of hollow retroreflectors from US manufacturer PLX that have been further improved for more stability and durability in harsh environments such as space and military applications. Thanks to changes in the mounting design as well as the working material, the self-compensating mirror configurations are extremely stable over temperature changes, vibration, and shock conditions. 

For ultra-stability, the USHM retroreflector with hard mount has been especially designed to eliminate any stress that has been induced on the mirror assembly and that could distort the exiting wavefront. This is well suited for example for interferometers where high stability of the OPD and concentricity of the apex on the mounting thread are critical requirements. 

In applications where space is limited, retroreflectors of the ULPR series (Ultra Low Profile Retroreflector) are used. They are about 36% lighter than other models and with their round design they can be quickly integrated into bores, optical tables or mirror mounts. 

Depending on the application, the hollow retroreflectors come in a range of accuracy options to 0.25 arc seconds beam deviation and λ/10 wave reflected wavefront error. Furthermore, size and coatings can be selected. For projects in aerospace or military, special customised retroreflectors can be developed according to challenging customer specifications.

LASER COMPONENTS is the exclusive distributor of PLX’s products in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

For further information Retroreflectors for High Power Applications - Special Optics (lasercomponents.com)