Abstract
We investigate an internal-transmission method for measuring microdeflections of an optical beam as a potential tool for the development of new compact and stable optical sensors. We calculate the detection limits of the internal-transmission method when an ideal coherent optical source and an ideal quasi-monochromatic thermallike source are used. The proposed method is compared with an internal-reflection method previously studied. It is found theoretically and verified experimentally that the transmission method may have better resolution than the reflection method. We also compare the calculated sensitivity as a function of the angle of incidence with experimental results for both methods.
© 1998 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
Augusto García-Valenzuela and Rufino Diaz-Uribe
Appl. Opt. 36(19) 4456-4462 (1997)
Mary Carmen Peña-Gomar and Augusto García-Valenzuela
Appl. Opt. 39(28) 5131-5137 (2000)
Augusto García-Valenzuela, Gabriel E. Sandoval-Romero, and Celia Sánchez-Pérez
Appl. Opt. 43(22) 4311-4321 (2004)