IOTA - ALIGNMENT
IOTA Alignment with Integrated Optic Combiner:
New Quick Method
beam-
splitter dichro
to ccd ----------/------------/---{---------- to telescopes
| / {--> retro
| /
eye fiber
Repeat cycle for each beam. Steps 1-6 before dark; step 7 with star.
All visual adjustments are via alignment telescope at end of long table.
1. Align optics toward telescope.
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Use alignment telescope and 45° BeamSplitter [fold mirror] toward telescope.
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Keep mirror adjustment map for
South Delayed or
North Delayed handy.
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Vacuum in tank.
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ST tip-tilt electronics on, switched to the null state.
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LD at home.
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Focus eyepiece first then focus telescope on exit mirror.
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Adjust the fold mirror to
center the exit mirror flip-in LED on crosshairs.
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This adjustment is slightly different for each of D1, D2, and F.
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Focus on the horizontal mm scale at bottom of SD.
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Tilt exit mirror in X to put vertical cross hair at 27=SD1, 28=SD2.
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Ignore vertical centering.
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Move the LD to about 2000 cm position or more and focus on it.
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Ignore the white cardboard baffle and its fiducial marks.
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Yaw SD to center vertical crosshair horizontally on the LD mirror
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(not the reflection through the mirror, ie not the red LED).
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Ignore vertical centering.
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Focus on the corner flip-in LED.
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Yaw LD to center horizontally.
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Tilt exit mirror to center vertically.
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The above steps should give zero vignetting at any SD, LD positions.
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Continue to feed, piezo, end on secondary cross-hairs.
2. Align fiber.
- Turn on fiber x-y piezo;
center the 10-turn pots at 5 turns or begin "Observe".
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Turn on and carefully position LED fiber illuminator to shine a spot on
Integrated Optics.
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Insert 6.5-inch high retro centered in path between dichroic and telescope.
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Dichroics occasionally needs to be adjusted so that the fiber feed mirror is centered (use target).
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View bright fiber output spot, center on crosshairs by tilting fiber feed mirror.
3. Align CCD:coarse. -
Illuminate CCD with bright desk lamp.
- View CCD
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Center coarsely by tilting CCD mirrors (a helper is useful).
4. Align CCD: fine. -
Set up laptop near CCDs
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Monitor CCD output image [ cd XDisplays, Startracker_Display]
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Fiber x-y piezo still on.
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Ajustment to 1/20 of a pixel is done with picomotors
by option 6 in the Observe_g3.2 program (align fibers to CCD).
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(manual option) Turn CCD mirror screws to center fiber image in quadrant,
to ~1 pixel.
5. Align Picnic (3 beams). -
Illuminate parabolas with light from secondary covers.
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Adjust x-y screws on lens mount to center 6-spot IO image on pixels.
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Adjust z-screw to focus spots.
6. Acquire star. -
Find star on acquisition TV.
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Spiral search, lock star on CCD.
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Run Fiber Explorer (#5) in Observe_g3.2 program to peak up on star.
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