We need to calculate whether this level of astigmatism is expected from the new active TT mirrors, but I claim that the beam is not clipped.
As proof, I provide a video (PS, why did it take me so long to be converted to using video capture??). I'm just showing the REFL camera, so the REFL beam as seen out on the AS table. I am moving PRM only. I can move lots in pitch before I start clipping anywhere. I have less range in yaw, but I still have space to move around. This is not how a clipped beam behaves. The clipping that I see after moving a ways is coincident with clipping seen by the camera looking at the back of the Faraday. i.e. the first clipping that happens is at the aperture of the Faraday, as the REFL beam enters the FI.
Also, I'm no longer convinced entirely that the beam entering the Faraday is a nice circle. I didn't check that very carefully earlier, so I'd like to re-look at the return beam coming from TT1, when the PRM is misaligned such that the return beam is not overlapped with the input beam. If the beam was circular going into the Faraday, I should have as much range in yaw as I do in pitch. You can see in the movie that this isn't true. I'm voting with the "astigmatism caused by non-flat active TT mirrors" camp. |