Swing-arm optical coordinate measuring machine: modal estimation of systematic errors from dual probe shear measurements

The swing-arm optical coordinate measuring machine (SOC), a profilometer with a distance-measuring interferometric probe for in situ measurement of the topography of aspheric surfaces,has been used for measuring highly aspheric mirrors with a performance rivaling full aperture interferometric tests. Recently, we implemented a dual probe, self-calibration mode for the SOC. Data from the dual probes can be used to calibrate the swing-arm air bearing errors since both probes see the same bearing errors while measuring different portions of the test surface. Bearing errors are reconstructed from modal estimation of the sheared signal.