The Influence of Dihedral Angle Error Stability on Beam Deviation for Hollow Retro-Reflectors

Abstract: Retro-reflectors consist of three reflective optical surfaces, which are oriented to reflect the input beam by 180 ?. For retro-reflector components, it is common to specify an angular beam deviation tolerance, or rather the deviation from the exact 180 def return direction. Precision-aligned retro-reflectors provide 180 deg beam deviation with tolerances on the order of an arcsecond. It is well known that the performance of the retro-reflector depends on the ability to precisely orient the r…