Design of a single-star optical emulator for a fast telescope

The design of a simple lens system is described capable of projecting a diffraction limited f1/.2 point of light through a variety of plane parallel vacuum windows. The system was built for the purpose of testing prototype CCDs for the Large Synpotic Survey Telescope in which lab testing drove the desire to create a beam that matches the telescope's f-ratio and obstruction, and which would have sufficient back-focal distance to allow imaging onto a sensor at least 50 mm away in various dewars with various window thicknesses. Also used as the final optic in an atmospheric turbulence simulator, the lens can simulate the real-world star PSF as it will appear on the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) focal plane.