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Prototype zoom lenses should be designed with flexibility. One never knows what the future use of a prototype as-build lens will be. In a prior design of a large-image-format zoom lens used for proton radiography, extra back focal distance was constrained in the design to allow for future insertion of extra lenses. These added lenses can change the magnification to a different camera system, having a smaller image size. Three single commercial lens elements were mounted into a commercial variable-length housing barrel that was attached to the back of the zoom lens using a 3Dprinted flange. This new design has been adapted to support neutron radiography; the new configuration collects light from a thick, blue-light-emitting scintillator. After the initial request was made, it took us only three weeks to design, assemble, and conduct imaging tests. The scintillator’s light travels 24 inches before entering into the zoom lens. A large pellicle is inserted into the optical path to keep the zoom lens and camera out of the neutron flux. Because of reduced resolution from the volume scintillator, a five-axis self-leveling alignment laser was sufficient to adjust the tilting of the scintillator, pellicle, zoom lens, and camera. The design process for picking suitable COTS lens elements will be discussed.

A zoom lens has been designed for proton radiography applications. Radiographic images are recorded at the end of an accelerator, where protons exit an aluminum vacuum window producing a shadowgraph image onto an LYSO (lutetium yttrium orthosilicate) scintillator. Emission from this 5-inch-square scintillator reflects off a pellicle and is then collected by a zoom lens located 24 inches away. Proton radiography can make high-speed, multi-frame radiographs or radiographic movies. This zoom lens provides 2X magnification for viewing different object sizes. The zoom lens incorporates eleven lenses, including a moving doublet that changes the magnification. Refocus of the camera is required when zooming. Only one moving doublet lens is required to change magnification. The stop was anchored to the moving doublet and its diameter is unchanged throughout magnification changes. The entire lens system is housed in a cylindrical tube. This lens will be used with a 10-frame camera with a 44 × 44 mm square image format and 1100 × 1100 pixel resolution. Stray light suppression is most important in this lens system. Radial compensation is controlled by two locking micrometers on element 9, which relaxes the mechanical tolerancing. A helical cam barrel using a linear rail controls the movement of the doublet. Alignment of the mechanical gears will be discussed.

Material scientists have developed computational modeling to predict the dynamic response of materials undergoing stress, but there is still a need to make precision measurements of surfaces undergoing shock compression. Miniature photonic Doppler velocimetry (PDV) probes have been developed to measure the velocity distribution from a moving surface traveling tens of kilometers per second. These probes use hundreds of optical fibers imaged by optical relays onto different regions of this moving surface. While previous work examined large surface areas, we have now developed a PDV microscope that can interrogate 37 different spots within a field of view of

When a zoom lens views a tilted finite conjugate object, its image plane is both tilted and distorted depending on magnification. Our camera image plane moves with six degrees of freedom; only one moving doublet lens is required to change magnification. Two lens design models were analyzed. The first required the optical and mechanical axes to be collinear, resulting in a tilted stop. The second allowed the optical axis to be tilted from the lens mechanical axis with an untilted stop moving along the mechanical axis. Both designs produced useful zoom lenses with excellent resolution for a distorted image. For both lens designs, the stop is anchored to the moving doublet and its diameter is unchanged throughout magnification changes. This unusual outcome allows the light level at each camera pixel to remain constant, independent of magnification. As-built tolerance analysis is used to compare both optical models. The design application is for proton radiography. At the end of an accelerator, protons exit an aluminum vacuum window producing a shadowgraph image onto an LYSO (lutetium yttrium orthosilicate) scintillator. The 5″ square scintillator emission reflects off a pellicle and is collected by the zoom lenses located 24″ away. Four zoom lenses will view the same pellicle at different alpha and beta angles. Blue emission from the scintillator is viewed at an alpha angle of –14° or –23° and beta angles of ±9° or ±25°. The pellicle directs the light backwards to a zone where adequate shielding of the cameras can be achieved against radiation scattered from the aluminum window.

During the fabrication of an aspherical mirror, the inspection of the residual wavefront error is critical. In the program of a spaceborne telescope development, primary mirror is made of ZERODUR with clear aperture of 450 mm. The mass is 10 kg after lightweighting. Deformation of mirror due to gravity is expected; hence uniform supporting measured by load cells has been applied to reduce the gravity effect. Inspection has been taken to determine the residual wavefront error at the configuration of mirror face upwards. Correction polishing has been performed according to the measurement. However, after comparing with the data measured by bench test while the primary mirror is at a configuration of mirror face horizontal, deviations have been found for the two measurements. Optical system that is not able to meet the requirement is predicted according to the measured wavefront error by bench test. A target wavefront error of secondary mirror is therefore analyzed to correct that of primary mirror. Optical performance accordingly is presented.

Cygnus is a high-energy radiographic x-ray source. Three large zoom lenses have been assembled to collect images from large scintillators. A large elliptical pellicle (394 × 280 mm) deflects the scintillator light out of the x-ray path into an eleven-element zoom lens coupled to a CCD camera. The zoom lens and CCD must be as close as possible to the scintillator to maximize light collection. A telecentric lens design minimizes image blur from a volume source. To maximize the resolution of objects of different sizes, the scintillator and zoom lens are translated along the x-ray axis, and the zoom lens magnification changes. Zoom magnification is also changed when different-sized recording cameras are used (50 or 62 mm square format). The LYSO scintillator measures 200 × 200 mm and is 5 mm thick. The scintillator produces blue light peaking at 435 nm, so special lens materials are required. By swapping out one doublet and allowing all other lenses to be repositioned, the zoom lens can also use a CsI(Tl) scintillator that produces green light centered at 540 nm (for future operations). All lenses have an anti-reflective coating for both wavelength bands. Two sets of doublets, the stop, the scintillator, and the CCD camera move during zoom operations. One doublet has x-y compensation. Alignment of the optical elements was accomplished using counter propagating laser beams and monitoring the retro-reflections and steering collections of laser spots. Each zoom lens uses 60 lb of glass inside the 425 lb mechanical structure, and can be used in either vertical or horizontal orientation.

Our goal is to collect x-ray images of different sized targets, which are positioned inside a containment vessel, onto different sized CCD cameras.

A novel fiber -optic probe measures the velocity distribution of an imploding surface a long many lines of sight. Reflected light from each spot on the moving surface is Doppler shifted with a small portion of this light propagating backwards through the launching fiber. The reflected light is mixed with a reference laser in a technique called photon Doppler velocimetry, providing continuous time records. Within the probe, a matrix array of 56 single -mode fibers sends light through a n optical relay consisting of three types of lenses. Seven sets of these relay lenses are grouped into a close -packed array allowing the interrogation of seven regions of interest. A six -faceted prism with a hole drilled into its center direct s the light beams to the different regions. Several types of relay lens systems have been evaluated, including doublets and molded aspheric singlets. The optical design minimizes beam diameters an d also provides excellent imaging capabilities. One of the fiber matrix arrays can be replaced by a n imaging coherent bundle. This close -packed array of seven relay systems provides up to 476 beam trajectories. The pyramid prism has its six facets polished at two different angles that will vary the density of surface point coverage. F iber s in the matrix arrays are angle polished at 8° to minimize back reflections. This causes the minimum beam waist to vary along different trajectories. Precision metrology o n the direction cosine trajectories is measured to satisfy environmental requirements for vibration and temperature. Keywords: photon Doppler v elocimetry, PDV, pyramid prism, optical metrology, velocimetry, optical alignment

The National Ignition Facility will begin testing DT fuel capsules yielding greater than 1013 neutrons during 2010. Neutron imaging is an important diagnostic for understanding capsule behavior. Neutrons are imaged at a scintillator after passing through a pinhole. The pixelated, 160-mm square scintillator is made up of 1/4 mm diameter rods 50 mm long. Shielding and distance (28 m) are used to preserve the recording diagnostic hardware. Neutron imaging is light starved. We designed a large nine-element collecting lens to relay as much scintillator light as reasonable onto a 75 mm gated microchannel plate (MCP) intensifier. The image from the intensifier's phosphor passes through a fiber taper onto a CCD camera for digital storage. Alignment of the pinhole and tilting of the scintillator is performed before the relay lens and MCP can be aligned. Careful tilting of the scintillator is done so that each neutron only passes through one rod (no crosstalk allowed). The 3.2 ns decay time scintillator emits light in the deep blue, requiring special glass materials. The glass within the lens housing weighs 26 lbs, with the largest element being 7.7 inches in diameter. The distance between the scintillator and the MCP is only 27 inches. The scintillator emits light with 0.56 NA and the lens collects light at 0.15 NA. Thus, the MCP collects only 7% of the available light. Baffling the stray light is a major concern in the design of the optics. Glass cost considerations, tolerancing, and alignment of this lens system will be discussed.

Gas Cherenkov detectors have been used to convert fusion gammas into photons to record gamma reaction history measurements. These gas detectors include a converter, pressurized gas volume, relay collection optics, and a photon detector. A novel design for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) using 90° off-axis parabolic mirrors efficiently collects signal from fusion gammas with 8-ps time dispersion. Fusion gammas are converted to Compton electrons, which generate broadband Cherenkov light (response is from 250 to 700 nm) in a pressurized gas cell. This light is relayed into a high-speed detector using three parabolic mirrors. The relay optics collect light from a 125-mm-diameter by 600-mm-long interchangeable gas (CO2 or SF6) volume. The parabolic mirrors were electroformed instead of diamond turned to reduce scattering of the UV light. All mirrors are bare aluminum coated for maximum reflectivity. This design incorporates a 4.2-ns time delay that allows the detector to recover from prompt radiation before it records the gamma signal. At NIF, a cluster of four channels will allow for increased dynamic range, as well as different gamma energy thresholds.