An optical table is a piece of equipment used for optics experiments and engineering.
In optical setups, especially those involving interferometry, the alignment of each component must be extremely accurate-precise down to a fraction of a wavelength-usually a few hundred nanometers. Even small vibrations or strain in the table on which the elements are set up might lead to complete failure of an experiment. Hence, one requires an extremely sturdy table which neither vibrates nor flexes, even under heavy loads. The surface of the table must also be quite flat, to allow precision optical mounts to make good contact with the table without rocking.
Modern optical tables are typically made of steel with a thick honeycomb lattice structure. The surface usually has a grid of 1/4"-20 or M6 threaded holes which allow the components to be bolted down so they cannot move even a few nanometers. Components may also be held to the steel surface by magnets in the base of the optical mounts. Often, the table's legs are pneumatic vibration dampers. For even more accurate setups, one also prevents air movements and temperature gradients by enclosing the surface in a box of transparent plastic such as Plexiglas. One may also use a "flowbox", a device which produces a laminar stream of air flowing downwards, kept at constant temperature by special air conditioning.
The metal used to construct modern optical tables has a higher speed of sound than granite and therefore a higher frequency of the first eigenmode. Any vibration produced on the table below this frequency does not produce a resonant response, making the setup less sensitive to vibrations from motorized optics, cooling water, etc. Vibration damping may be added to tables during their construction. As with granite's composite structure, the combination of several stiff materials with different speeds of sound produces a table for which a wide range of vibrations are critically damped. Viscous fluids are used in between the stiff materials, to aid in damping. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_table
This model is: RS2000 Series, Sealed Hole Table Top with Tuned Damping
Two are 4ft x 8ft and the other is 4ft x 4ft with 1/4-20 Holes and 1 inch grid.
Current Location: 36-228
Vendor: Newport
Manual: N/A
Specifications: N/A
LabView Programs: N/A
Price: $35441.10
Purchase Date: 9-2-2008
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