Abstract

The theory of and experimental results associated with field widening a Michelson interferometer in convergent light are described. The consequence of this configuration is a relatively compact optical system with improved system étendue and reduced system transmission loss. Although the convergence of light introduces significant wave aberration, adequate visibility of interference can still be obtained at a path difference sufficiently large for high-resolution Doppler imaging. Experimentally, a full-angle field of view of 9° with a minimum visibility of 0.5 was achieved. The particular advantages of the new configuration in the application of two-dimensional interferometric Doppler imaging in the ultraviolet spectral region are also discussed.

© 1997 Optical Society of America

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