Mersenne Optical Consulting

Mersenne Optical Consulting brings decades of high-level expertise and a proven track record of accomplishment in the field of optical design, aberration theory and alignment, to your technical optics or other alignment projects.

Our Services

Optical Design:

Full design service from innovative and well-known optical designers. Designs to maximize performance, economy, reliability, manufacturability, stability. Experts in “realistic” design, where it is recognized that an “on-paper” solution is only a starting point for systems working in the real world. Examples of innovation include the ”Schmidt Offner”1,2 and associated “Absolute Instruments”, a newly patented class of systems capable of producing stigmatic imagery over the whole volume of object space. MOC staff have a deep understanding of the aberration theory underlying optical system performance, as evidenced by numerous publications3,4,5,6,7,8 and are not wholly dependent on lens design software.

Tolerancing:

A rigorous approach to tolerancing is vital to the success of complex optical systems. MOC staff have decades of real-world experience that informs the approach taken and leads to outcomes that strive for optimum balance between cost, performance and reliability.

Alignment:

World-leading expertise  in Laser Tracker and Laser Truss metrology, MOC staff were the first to use laser trackers in the on-sky alignment of large land-based telescopes9,10 in integrating absolute-distance measuring laser trusses to directly measure optical deflection and deformation on large optical structures and assemblies.

Original theoretical work in the aberration theory relating to misaligned systems has also been produced by MOC staff.11, 12, 13.

Innovative image-analysis based alignment systems have been developed and deployed in a number of large scale modern astronomical telescope projects.

MOC is also the Australasian agent for the Point Source Microscope (PSM).

Prototyping:

MOC can work with various industry partners to produce partial or complete system prototypes for a range of optical and optomechanical systems

Optical Fabrication Support: 

MOC staff have led technical procurement, project-managed, been involved in key technical roles, or otherwise supervised the production of optics and optical systems ranging from the smallest to the largest, with telescope mirrors ranging in size up to 8.4 meters diameter.  With an extensive global network of manufacturing contacts, each with their own “Strengths and weaknesses” MOC is well placed to assist in the most complex optical procurements.

Enquiries:

For all enquiries please contact: Andrew.rakich@mersenneoptical.com, 

or phone +64 22 4560716 (please note NZST is UTC + 12, calls during local office hours preferred).

References: 

  1. Rakich, A., Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) PCT/NZ2020/050105, Optical systems capable of forming highly-corrected images of 3-dimensional objects  (2020)
  2. Rakich, A., Rogers, J. R., “Aberration theory-based approaches to optical design”, Proc. SPIE, SPIE COS Photonics Asia, (2020). 
  3. Rakich, A. “Four-mirror anastigmats I: a complete solution set for all-spherical telescopic systems”, Optical Engineering, (2007).
  4. Rakich, A., Rumsey, N., “A method for deriving the complete solution set for three-mirror anastigmatic telescopes with two spherical mirrors”. (With N. Rumsey). JOSA A, Vol 19, No. 7, July 2002
  5. Rakich, A., Rumsey, N., “A new prime focus corrector for paraboloid mirrors”, Advanced Optical Technologies, Volume 2, Issue 1, Pages 111–116, eISSN 2192-8584, ISSN 2192-8576, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/aot-2012-0078. (2012).
  6. Rakich, A., Burke, J., Burge, J., “Optics for astronomy- Editorial”, Advanced Optical Technologies, Volume 3, Issue 3, Pages 221–222, eISSN 2192-8584, ISSN 2192-8576, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/aot-2014-0036D
  7. Rakich, A., “Reflecting anastigmatic optical systems: a retrospective,” Optical Engineering 57(10), 101701 (2017)
  8. Rakich, A., et. Al, “The Skymapper wide-field telescope”, Proc. SPIE, 6267, (2006)
  9. Rakich., A., “Using a laser tracker for active alignment on the Large Binocular Telescope”, Proc. SPIE 8444, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IV; 844454 (2012)
  10. Rakich, A., “Prototyping the GMT telescope metrology system on LBT”, Proc. SPIE 10700, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VII; 107001S (2018)
  11.  Rakich, A., “Use of field aberrations in the alignment of the Large Binocular Telescope optics”. Proc. SPIE 7012, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes II; 70121L (2008) 
  12. Rakich, A., “Calculation of third-order misalignment aberrations with the Optical Plate diagram”, Proc. IODC (2010)
  13. Rakich, A., Holzloehner, R., “Optical Modeling for Image Based Active Alignment on the VST”, Proc. IODC (2014).