Optomechanical design of the Micro-Arcsecond Metrology testbed interferometer

The Micro Arcsecond Metrology Testbed (MAM) is a laboratory- based, long baseline, white-light interferometer inside a vibration-isolated vacuum tank. The single baseline, high precision interferometer will be able to observe a translating, artificial star at a distance of 10.74 meters with 5 μ as accuracy. The MAM testbed consists of an artificial star, laser metrology and a high precision interferometer. This paper addresses the design and characteristics of the interferometer. The interferometer functions include both angle- and optical-path tracking. The optics are arranged to from dispersed fringes in a channeled spectrum on a charge coupled device and a true white-light fringe on an avalanche photodiode, while at the same time producing guide spots for angle tracking.