Concept for testing two-mirror optical telescopes

Abstract A concept for testing a two-mirror telescope optical system and its optical components is proposed. The example of the space ultraviolet Ritchey-Chretien telescope, with a primary mirror of 170 cm diameter, is considered. The principal propositions of the concept, and the optical schematic diagrams of the independent and mutual testing of the primary and secondary telescope mirrors, are discussed. Constructional data are presented of optical testing systems, with a minimum number of auxiliary optical elements of simple configuration. When designing the optical testing system, the principle of the null test method has been used. According to this principle the object to be tested and the auxiliary optical elements form a system that is free of aberration for a given kind of ray path. This makes it possible to use various methods and instruments intended for testing aberration free optical systems, for example, Twyman-Green and Fizeau interferometers, Foucault or knife edge test, and star tests 1–4 .