Optical Alignment Lab

Part 1- Align a Laser

The laser beam reflects off of the two mirrors, through the irises.

Part 2- Measure Beam Width

This is the same setup as part one, but a razor blade and a light sensor were added, which allowed us to measure the beam width of the laser.

Part 3- Install a Telescope

We  used two convex lenses to build a telescope. The light beam through iris 2 was larger since it went through the lenses, and when an object was placed in front of the light, it was magnified.

Part 4 - Align an Optical System 

The laser light beam is going through two lenses with a pinhole in the middle of them. The lenses have the same focal distance. This set up is a spatial filter.

Part 4 Continued- Align an Optical System

The laser beam is going through two lenses, both with differing focal distances. This set up is a beam expander using a diverging lens.